Broken Fate
by Fanfiction Saver
Summary: Saved from Schnoogle without permission. Complete. Time Travel AU In a future world ruled by Voldemort and his Death Eaters, the next generation travels back in time in an attempt to change fate. Written pre HBP No chapter breaks sorry.


With Schnoogle almost dead, I decided to save this fic before it's too late. You can find the orginal here: fictionalley. ikeran authors/ qwi_xux /BF. html (for as long as that lasts) If anyone knows how to contact the orginal author, please do leave that information in a review, so everyone can shower them with praise. No actual reviews are necessary here. I didn't write it after all.

No chapter breaks sorry.

"In a future world ruled by Voldemort and his Death Eaters, the next generation travels back in time in an attempt to change fate. SPOILER WARNING: Takes place after Order of the Phoenix

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author's Notes: I know that there are many time-travel stories written, but I had to write this. The idea wouldn't leave me alone. ;) "

Chapter One ~ The Journey Back

Godric's Hollow

August 1, 2020

Jamie Potter sat in the window seat, hands clenched together. She didn't pace or fidget. That wasn't how she handled feeling stressed and worried. She tended to bottle everything up and remain still. It was partly because of how she had grown up, and partly how she had learned to be.

Where are they? They should have been back hours ago! She continued to stare out the window, almost expecting them to Apparate right then just to prove to her that they were all right. The street was almost completely dark, as all of the street lamps were broken. The only light came from the pale half-moon floating between the clouds.

Jamie twisted her fingers together. "Come on," she whispered. It wasn't the first time they had been late-even she had been late on several occasions, and there was always a reason. The problem was, the reason was usually because something bad had happened. Yes, they had always come out of it...but each time, she always thought,what about next time?

There was a sudden loud crack, followed by a second one. Two figures now stood out on the street, the pale moonlight shining down on their heads. Jamie let out a sigh of relief and stood to her feet.

Moments later, the two young men walked through the front door and into the sitting room. "It's about time," Jamie said irritably, not allowing any of the fear she had been feeling to show in her voice. "Did you get it?"

The first of the two young men sighed and flopped into the nearest armchair. It creaked ominously, and Jamie wondered how long it would be before the ramshackle chair collapsed when someone sat in it. "We got it," Shay Longbottom proclaimed.

Will Weasley stood in the doorframe with his arms crossed. "We're late because we ran across a couple of Death Eaters. They didn't see us, but we couldn't Apparate. We had to avoid them in order to get it." He looked exhausted. "Where's Molly?"

"Asleep upstairs," Jamie answered.

"I'm going to go check on her." Will turned and headed down the hallway.

Jamie turned back to Shay. "Well?" she said impatiently. "Where is it?"

"Will has it." Shay pushed himself off the armchair, which emitted another loud groan. "I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"

Jamie rolled her eyes. Shay never seemed to take anything completely seriously. Whenever she began to believe that he thought with something other than his brain, she had to remind herself of everything he had done. He was a lot smarter than he often acted. "There's a little bit leftover from supper. Go easy on it-it has to last for breakfast."

Shay disappeared down the hall, and Jamie sank back into the window seat, burying her face in her hands. Thank you for letting them come back safely. She didn't know what she would do if she lost either one of them.

"James? You all right?" Will's soft voice startled Jamie.

Jamie lifted her head and nodded. "Is Molly all right?"

"Still sleeping," Will said tiredly. "Where's Shay?"

"Kitchen."

It was Will's turn to roll his eyes. "Figures." He sat on the window seat beside Jamie, reaching into his pocket at the same time. He pulled out a small silver object hanging on a chain.

Jamie sucked in her breath and stared at it as it dangled between them. She carefully reached out and touched it, lifting it up so she could see one end. Inscribed on the bottom was H.W. This was it. This was what they had been after for a year now, since they had learned of its existence from Will's mother's journal. Her eyes remained transfixed on the tiny hourglass until Will tucked it back into his pocket.

"We're going to use it tomorrow?" Jamie wasn't sure why she was whispering, but it seemed appropriate. She couldn't believe after all of this-planning, searching, bribing, sneaking-they were finally going to be able to do this.

"That's the plan."

Jamie glanced past Will to the dead tree by the front walk. "Do you...have doubts about it?" She wouldn't ask this of Shay-he would think she was ridiculous to ask after everything they had gone through to get to this point-but she could talk to Will about anything.

"Of course. I would be worried if I didn't." Will offered her a half-smile. "We're going to be muddling with the very fabric of time and space. We've talked of the consequences, but can we truly know what will happen?"

Her next question had been passed between the three of them before, and it came to Jamie again. "What if we make it worse?"

Will answered as she knew he would, but she needed to hear it again. "Nothing could be worse than the world we live in, James. Nothing." He took her hands and met her brilliant green eyes with his brown ones. "What do we have to lose?" He squeezed her hands lightly, then let go. "We should get some sleep. We have a lot in store for us tomorrow." He stood to his feet and headed toward the stairs.

He had eased her mind, as only he was able to do. "Thanks, Will."

"Sure." Will smiled. "What are cousins for?"

Outskirts of London, England

August 1, 1996

"Hermione? What are you doing?"

Startled by her mother's voice, Hermione Granger jumped and banged her head. "Ouch!" She wriggled out from under her bed and rubbed her head. "Sorry, Mum. I was just retrieving this." She held up her prize and made a face. "Crookshanks thought it would be nice to bring me a present."

Hermione's parents were rarely disgusted with anything, for two reasons: one, they were dentists and had seen a lot in medical school, and two, Hermione always came home during the summer telling them everything she had done during her school year at Hogwarts. And that often consisted of what had gone into different potions, or things they had harvested in Herbology.

So when Alice Granger saw the dead, mangled mouse Hermione was dangling by its tail, she simply made a face. "Lovely of Crookshanks," she said drily.

Hermione opened her bedroom window and dropped the mouse out of it.

"I just came up to see if you're all packed," Alice said.

"Yes, Mum." Hermione motioned to her trunk and Crookshanks, who was in his cat carrier. "That's all of it. I'll get what I need for Hogwarts when the Weasleys get their school supplies." She was glad she was finally going to be staying with Harry and the Weasleys. Last summer had been spent with the Weasleys at Sirius Black's old home, cleaning out all of the Dark Arts memorabilia they found lying around. It was still the Order of the Phoenix's headquarters, and Hermione knew that the Weasleys had been there all summer. Harry had joined them at the beginning of July, but Hermione's parents had taken her to Greece on Holiday. She hadn't wanted to go, but after everything that had happened during her fifth year at Hogwarts, her parents had insisted that she go to try to relax a bit. Hermione suspected that they also wanted a chance to spend some time with her.

She wasn't sure how much relaxing she had done-she continually perused the Daily Prophet for any information on what Voldemort was up to, and she felt like she was always looking over her shoulder. The Daily Prophet was, of course, filled with speculations and articles on Voldemort, Harry, Dumbledore, and others. The one thing that was worrying people was that well-known witches and wizards were slowly disappearing, and no one was sure if Voldemort was bringing them to his side with the Imperius curse, or if they were going into hiding. Probably both, Hermione had mused.

"I'll tell your father you're ready to go."

Hermione's father brought her trunk downstairs, and he and her mother kissed her good-bye. Hermione was amazed by her parents. After everything they knew she had been through-all of the life and death situations-they always allowed her to go back to Hogwarts. She had asked them about it after her third year, and they had exchanged glances. "Hermione, if a witch is what you are, then it's what you are. If there really is a dark wizard on the loose, and we try to keep you here, don't you think he'll find you eventually? The best thing we can do is send you somewhere that you can train-so if you meet any dark wizards or witches, you will know how to defend yourself," Edward Granger had said.

It made a lot of sense, but Hermione was still in awe that they were understanding enough to see it this way. They didn't always understand her, or the things she did at school, but they realized that it was important she continue. She wasn't sure she would be able to do the same if it was her daughter in this situation.

Hermione stuck out her wand, and a moment later, there was a loud bang! A triple-decker bus appeared, screeching to a stop. Two garbage cans jumped out of its way. Hermione gave her parents one last hug and kiss, then boarded the bus. "Grimmauld Place," she said, paying her toll.

She settled in and waved to her parents, and then the Knight Bus was on its way.

"Hermione!" Ginny was the one who met her at the front door of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place.

"Ginny!" Hermione let go of her trunk and set Crookshanks' carrier down on top of it, then gave Ginny a hug. "How has your summer been? Where are Ron and Harry? What's been going on? Is the Order here?"

"My summer has been fine, Ron and Harry are de-gnoming the garden, a lot has been going on, and yes, the Order is here." Ginny grinned, her brown eyes crinkling.

Hermione noticed that although Ginny smiled, there was something troubling in her eyes. She wondered if it was just everything that had happened the last year, or if something else had happened. She decided she would settle in, then ask later.

Ginny helped Hermione lug her trunk and Crookshanks upstairs. Hermione peered around as she walked through the house, surprised and impressed. "The house looks...well, normal."

"We've finished clearing out all of the Dark Arts stuff, and Mum went crazy with cleaning. The only thing left is the gnomes in the garden. They're not normal, honestly. Gnomes are usually a nuisance, but these ones are just evil. They bite and they've made these little weapons out of scraps they've found. They nearly poked out one of Harry's eyes the other day, and I can't count the number of times we've had to heal cuts and scrapes. Ron had a particularly nasty one the other day-Mum was afraid she was going to have to take him to Saint Mungo's." Ginny plunked Hermione's trunk down in the room she would be sharing with Ginny.

"Did you manage to get Mrs. Black's picture off the wall?" Hermione asked.

Ginny sighed. "Unfortunately not, but Professor Lupin managed to cast a spell on it so she can't talk. It's rather hilarious; the curtains over her portrait will fly open and she'll struggle to yell, but nothing comes out." She grinned again, and then another odd look crossed Ginny's face.

Hermione cocked her head. "How's Harry doing? His letters have been very short, but I get the feeling-"

Ginny rubbed a hand across her eyes and sighed again. "He's...all right. I think that being here for most of the summer, and having the support of others around has really helped, but he misses Sirius. Being here is a constant reminder of him, but I think Harry finds that comforting. He's also talked with Professor Lupin quite a lot, and that seems to help him."

Hermione nodded. That made sense. Lupin had known Sirius better than anyone else alive. "I'm going to go say hello," she told Ginny.

Ginny nodded, and Hermione slipped downstairs. She headed for the kitchen so she could go out the back door. She pushed open the kitchen door and walked in. Half a dozen heads turned to look at her.

"Oh, Hermione, dear!" Mrs. Weasley stood to her feet. "I didn't hear you come in!"

Hermione smiled. "It's all right. Ginny helped me settle in. I was just going to say hello to Ron and Harry."

"They're out back." Mrs. Weasley motioned to the back door.

Hermione stepped past the table where some of the Order of the Phoenix was sitting. Mad-Eye Moody, Tonks, Remus Lupin, Mr. Weasley, and Bill Weasley all smiled, nodded, or said "hello" has she passed.

She made it out the back door and walked down the stone steps to the garden. Harry and Ron had their backs to her. They were dressed in some kind of protective gear-high boots, thick cloaks, and goggles. Hermione raised her eyebrows as Ron picked up a potato-like gnome with gloved hands and stuffed it into a bag that sat nearby. The bag must have been magically sealed, because Hermione could see the gnome-as well as a good many other gnomes-fighting to get out of the bag, with no luck.

Hermione opened her mouth to speak, but gave a startled gasp when something stabbed into her leg. "Ouch!" She looked down to see a little gnome holding some kind of little metal pointed object, dripping with her blood.

If I was allowed to use magic during the summer, I would blast that thing into next Sunday, Hermione thought irritably. Since she couldn't, she settled with giving the gnome a good kick. It flew across the garden and landed in front of Ron.

Ron looked up to see where the gnome had come from. When he saw her, a grin spread across his face. "Hermione! Hey, Harry, it's Hermione!"

Harry was holding two squirming gnomes, but he spared a glance her way. "Hey, Hermione!" He stuffed the gnomes in the bag, and he and Ron walked over to her. As soon as they were close enough, she threw her arms around both of them, squishing them together.

"Ack! Hermione! Our gear!" Ron said, sounding pleased and embarrassed.

Hermione released them and grinned. "I'm so happy we're finally together again," she sighed. "Greece was interesting, but I would have rather been here."

Harry pulled up his goggles. "We haven't been able to do much here," he said. "The Order's been handling everything." He suddenly noticed her leg. "Hermione, you're bleeding!"

Hermione glanced at her leg. "It's nothing," she said dismissively.

"Bloody gnomes." Ron glared at the garden.

"It's really nothing, Ron. I'll go get geared up, and I'll help you with the gnomes." Hermione cheerfully headed back indoors to ask Mrs. Weasley about gear. Despite everything happening in the wizarding world, despite everything she knew was coming, being with her two best friends made everything seem brighter. Together, the three of them could handle anything.

Godric's Hollow

August 2, 2020

"Shay. Wake up." Jamie poked Shay, who flew up as quickly as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice water on him. He had his wand out and pointed at Jamie before she could say 'lumos.'

Shay sank back with a sigh. "Oh. Jamie. It's you."

Jamie didn't blame him for his reaction. In fact, she barely acknowledged it in her own mind. It was simply perfectly natural for him to respond that way. "We're ready to go. Will and Molly are waiting in the sitting room. If you want breakfast, there's a little bit leftover, but you'll have to eat quickly."

Shay nodded and slid out of bed. "I'll be down in a moment."

Jamie left him to get dressed and headed for the sitting room. Will sat in one of the dilapidated chairs, little Molly curled up on his lap, her thumb in her mouth. Molly's long red hair was neatly combed, and she looked over as Jamie walked in. Molly shared her brother Will's brown eyes.

"Hi, Moll," Jamie smiled at the three-year-old, knowing she wouldn't get a response. Molly hadn't spoken a word in her life, and never smiled. If it hadn't been for the way her eyes reacted to things, the way they seemed to soak in information, Jamie would have believed that Molly didn't understand anything. As it was, she, Will, and Shay were convinced Molly knew exactly what was going on. They believed that it was just her very early life that had made her this way.

"Shay's coming," Jamie informed Will. "He's-" Before she could say anything else, Shay entered the room, shoving the remains of his breakfast into his mouth.

"I'm ready," he said, mouth full.

Jamie made a face at him. "You have no manners, Shay."

"What do I need them for?" Shay asked, still chewing.

Pressing her lips together, Jamie didn't answer. She turned back to her cousins. "Let's do this." She walked over and crouched down in front of Will, who pulled out the long chain with the miniature silver hourglass. Jamie stared at it in silence. Even Shay kept quiet, which was saying something. He simply swallowed and came to kneel beside Jamie.

Will carefully strung the chain around his neck, then pulled it over Molly's head, and finally, over Shay and Jamie. Their heads were pressed together so that the chain fit over all of them. "Ready?" Will asked quietly.

"Do it," Shay replied steely.

Jamie drew a deep breath as Will turned the Time-Turner over once, unable to take her eyes off of it. He turned it over again, and then twisted the top and bottom four times in opposite directions. Moments later, the world dropped away, and Jamie closed her eyes as a wave of nausea and dizziness swept over her. She opened her eyes when she heard a high-pitched scream.

She spun around to see a woman standing in the doorway of the sitting room. It was the same sitting room...but it was different. The wooden walls were polished and shiny; the furniture was all new-looking. She could actually tell what colors the carpet consisted of. Everything looked bright and cheerful. It worked! she thought wildly. It must have worked! Did we come back to the right time, though?

"What are you doing in my house? How did you get in here?" The woman sounded quite hysterical.

Jamie glanced at Shay, Will, and Molly. Shay and Will looked equally elated; Molly looked terrified. She was clinging to Will and biting on her thumb. We can't explain this one. Even if she believed us, no one can know who we are. And she's probably a Muggle.

"We're sorry, miss. We didn't mean to frighten you," Will said politely. "We'll just leave now." He stood up, still holding Molly, then motioned to Shay and Jamie. They quickly followed him toward the front door.

"Stop! Stop right there! I'm going to call the police! You'll be arrested for breaking and entering!"

Ignoring the woman's yells, the four of them slipped out the door and into the bright sunlight.

Bright sunlight meant nothing. The sun shone in their time, too. It never seemed right to Jamie-it seemed that with all the darkness, the sun should always be hidden. As they hurried down the street, away from the house, Jamie gaped at everything. The houses were still together, not ramshackled and torn down. Gardens were growing; flowers were in full bloom. The street lights weren't broken. Everything looked very quaint and...clean.

Jamie stopped and picked up a newspaper at the end of one of the driveways, scanning for a date. There it was. August 2, 1996. "It worked," she whispered. She looked up at Will and Shay, who were staring at her. Dropping the newspaper, she said, a bit louder, "It worked! August 2, 1996! We did it!"

"Good," Shay said grimly. "Let's do what we came to do, then. If we're going to be stuck here the rest of our lives, I'd like to make sure we make it a decent place to be stuck in."

Summary: The future: where Voldemort and his Death Eaters rule. In a desperate act, the children of the Trio, Ginny, and Neville travel back in time in an attempt to stop something that changed everything for the worse. SPOILER WARNING: Takes place after Order of the Phoenix!

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. However, Will Weasley, Jamie Potter, Shay Longbottom, and little Molly Weasley belong to me, as do any other characters that are not from the original Harry Potter books, unless otherwise mentioned.

Author's Notes: Thanks to Ronniekins, my single reviewer. To answer your question (though it will be explained later) 'James' is simply Will's nickname for Jamie.

Thanks to anyone else who read, and feel free to tell me what you did or did not like.

Chapter Two ~ The Unexpected Invitations

Will surveyed the landscape as they continued down the street. It's so beautiful, he thought wistfully. So...unmarred.

"You have the money, Will?" Jamie asked. Will was the one who had been put in charge of bringing along their supplies.

"Do you have to ask?" Will set Molly on the ground, and she immediately clung to his Muggle jeans. He was so used to it that he barely noticed. He swept aside his cloak, revealing a bag slung across his shoulders and hanging by his side. He dug into it and pulled out a small brown bag of their precious wizard coins. He had a blue bag full of Muggle money. The coins were from this time, and had been carefully collected. Will, Jamie, and Shay had had a whole year to gather the things they would need for this trip.

"Right then," Jamie said a bit nervously, once they were out of the sight of any houses. "Mum and Dad said the Knight Bus worked by holding out your wand hand." She carefully pulled out her wand and stuck it out.

There was a loud pop, and a bright purple triple-decker bus appeared, skidding at two trees. On the windshield, gold lettering read: The Knight Bus. Will was sure the bus was going to crash, but the trees simply slid out of the way as the bus screeched to a halt.

Trying not to stare, Will followed Shay to the bus. A young man whose face was covered with acne stuck his head out. "'i, there. Where're you 'eaded?"

"Ottery St. Catchpole," Will answered. Shay slipped past Stan onto the bus.

"Right, then. I'm Stan Shunpike, an' I'll be your conductor this evening. For all four of you, that'll be two galleons an' six sickles. Or you can pay three galleons an' five sickles an' get 'ot chocolate, an 'ot water bottle an' a toofbrush-whatever color you want."

Knowing they needed to save as much of their money as possible, Will said, "Uh, we'll pay two galleons and six sickles." He stood aside and let Jamie board. His stomach knotted uncomfortably when he saw the way Stan was staring at her.

"'ey, Ern! She looks like 'arry Potter, don't she, Ern?" Stan asked an elderly wizard with thick glasses. He was sitting in an armchair in front of the steering wheel.

Jamie pursed her lips. "The Boy-Who-Lived? I wish!" She rolled her eyes and disappeared to the back of the bus.

At least she can play her part. But we're going to have to be careful! Will thought. He paid Stan, then pulled Molly's hand off of his jeans so he could hold it. He tugged her onto the bus. Shay and Jamie weren't on the first floor, so he took Molly up the stairs and found them on the second floor.

Will sat next to them, plunking Molly on the seat beside him. "You have to be really careful, Jamie," he muttered. "You look-"

"Too much like my dad. I know," Jamie sighed. With her straight black shoulder-length hair and piercing green eyes, all she needed was her famous father's scar to complete the picture. There were bits of her mother in her-her nose and her smile, to name two-but most of her looks came from Harry Potter.

Most of the trip was spent in silence, while they clung to their seats as the bus banged! in and out of different streets. Finally, Stan's voice, magically magnified over some kind of system on the bus, said, "Ottery St. Catchpole!"

Grateful that the ride was over-Will's parents had told him about the Knight Bus, but they had never said what riding the bus was actually like-Will led the way down the stairs and off of the bus.

The bus departed with another loud crack! Will looked cautiously around the village. "Now to get to the Burrow," he said.

It wasn't hard to find, as they had been there numerous times. Will wasn't sure what to expect as they approached the land that held the Burrow. This had been his father's home for so many years...it had always been a happy place for his father, and for Will, it had been a safe haven for a time. It had been his, Jamie's, and Shay's hideout for almost a year, until Molly was a year and a half old. Then they had been forced to move to another area. It was also one of the many places his family had stayed in their constant movements to try to throw off Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Here, his parents and others had plotted the Dark Lord's downfall.

And all plots had failed.

"It's just around that corner," Jamie stated the obvious.

"We don't know for sure that no one's home," Shay cautioned.

"They should be at the Order's meeting place," Will returned. "That's where they were supposed to have spent this summer." Still, he knew caution was called for, as it was likely that they traveled to and from the Burrow. "You guys wait here. I'll go check it out, and see if I can find it." He didn't have to mention what 'it' was. He handed Molly over to Jamie, then walked around the last bend before coming to the Burrow.

His first thought upon seeing it was, wow! It's so...together! Yes, the house looked like it had been thrown together and added onto so many times that it was impossible to see what the original building had been. Still, it was neat and orderly, the roof was still on, and there weren't holes in the walls. It was a great improvement from the Burrow he remembered from his time.

Glancing over his shoulder to make sure the others really had stayed put-with Shay and Jamie, you really never knew-he cautiously continued to approach the Burrow. He stopped at the front door and touched the doorknob, hesitating. Should he knock, and if someone answered, say he had the wrong house? Or should he just walk in, and if someone was home, make up some excuse? Choosing the latter, Will carefully turned the knob and let the door swing open. He glanced into the clean kitchen. When he didn't see anyone, he slowly stepped inside. He headed for the living room, looking for the grandfather clock in the corner. Sure enough, it was still there.

Nine golden hands were on the clock, each of them with one of the Weasley's names on them. Arthur, Molly, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny. Instead of numerals, there were twelve places written around the face of the clock. They read home, work, school, traveling, friend's house, vacationing, lost, hospital, prison, runaway, kidnapped, and mortal peril. Will knew from personal experience that if one of the Weasleys died, the clock would gong loudly, and the person's name would turn from gold to red.

Currently, eight of the Weasley's names rested on work. Charlie's was on traveling. Good, no one's home, Will thought in relief. His eyes landed on the fireplace mantel as he turned his attention from the clock. Pictures of the many red-headed Weasley's stared at him, grinning and waving. Will walked up to the fireplace and stared at them. There was his dad, and his uncles and aunt and grandparents. One of the pictures of his Aunt Ginny caught his attention. She had to be three or four in the picture, and she looked almost exactly like Molly.

Will reached out and touched the photo of the little girl. We're going to try to save you, he promised silently. Calling his mission to mind, he turned and headed for the stairs. The object he was looking for was small, and it was supposed to be somewhere in Ron's room.

When he found the door labeled RONALD'S ROOM, he took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"RON! What do you think you're doing?"

Ron looked sheepishly at his mum and quickly put his hand behind his back. "Um...nothing."

"Ronald Weasley, that was a Ton-Tongue Toffee! I know it was!" Molly Weasley stormed forward and held out her hand. "Fred and George may be running a nice little business with...things...such as these, but I will not have them in my house. I suppose you had something to do with Remus passing out at dinner last night?"

Ron heard a snort, and glanced at Hermione, who was sitting in the corner of the room, her face buried in An Advanced Guide to Transfiguration.

"No, Mum," Ron said patiently, shooting a glare in Hermione's direction. "I swear I had nothing to do with the Fainting Fancy." He felt no reason to say that it had been Ginny, and that she hadn't been trying to make Remus pass out-she had been aiming for Bill. He also decided it would be better not to mention that this was not her house.

"If I see another crumb of that candy-" his mum began, allowing her hand to drop to her side.

"I understand, Mum." Ron discreetly tucked the Ton-Tongue Toffee into his back pocket. His mum gave him that look, and he tried not to shrink under it. Then she spun and stormed out of the room.

As soon as she was gone, Hermione peered out over her book. "You know, Ron-"

"Oh, don't start, Hermione," Ron groaned, hearing the tone of her voice. She was about to begin one of her lectures.

Giving him a very prim look, Hermione sniffed and turned back to her book.

Ginny chose that moment to enter the room. "Our school lists just came," she said, waving several pieces of parchment. "Dad's going to take us to Diagon Alley this afternoon." She handed Ron one of the papers, and he looked over it.

SIXTH-YEAR STUDENTS WILL REQUIRE:

The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6

by Miranda Goshawk

An Advanced Guide to Transfiguration

by Emeric Switch

The Dark Arts: How to Defend Against the Expected and Unexpected

by Ella Chase

Sixth-Year Students are also required to bring a Reciprocated Mirror.

Ron looked up from his list. "Why do we need a Reciprocated Mirror?"

Ginny shrugged as she passed Hermione her list. "That's on my list, too. I need The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5, Transfiguration Theory, and The Dark Arts: How to Defend Against the Expected and Unexpected. Maybe the Mirror has something to do with the Dark Arts?"

"You can have my copy of Transfiguration Theory, Ginny. We had to have them for last year, and my copy's still in very good shape," Hermione said.

Ron snorted. Of course Hermione's copy would still be in good shape. She treated her books as she would if they were precious gemstones.

"Thanks, Hermione," Ginny said.

Hermione nodded absently, still studying he list. "Maybe Dumbledore actually found a decent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," she said, glancing up from her paper.

"If not, we always have Harry," Ginny grinned.

"Where is Harry?" Hermione frowned.

"Backyard. He's in one of his moods," Ginny replied.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "Moods?"

Ron sighed. "You just got here yesterday, but you'll see. His moods. He gets really quiet and goes into this dark sulky mood. He usually sits outside and stares at nothing."

"He says he's thinking, but he doesn't want to talk about it," Ginny added. "Believe me, we've tried. Mum says just to give him lots of love and support."

"Maybe I should try to talk to him," Hermione said, a concerned frown creasing her forehead.

"It won't work," Ron and Ginny said simultaneously. "He just needs space to figure things out," Ginny said wisely.

Hermione sighed. "I suppose you're right. Still...I wish there was something more that we could do."

"Did you find it?" Shay asked when Will returned from the Burrow. He was leaning against a tree, arms crossed. Jamie sat beside him, also leaning against a tree, while Molly sat on the grass beside her, running her fingers over the green blades.

"You didn't," Jamie said, seeing Will's expression.

Will sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. "I looked all over my dad's room, and couldn't find it anywhere. So I looked around the rest of the house. I even used theaccio spell, but it didn't come, and I tried several other spells. It's not there."

Shay's jaw tightened. "According to everything we know, it was supposed to be in his room."

Jamie nodded. "That was what we had figured out."

"Unless..." Will began.

Shay raised his eyebrows. "Unless what?"

"Unless we missed something, in our time. When we put all of this together, we only had bits of information and my mom's journal."

Jamie buried her face in her hands and groaned. "We were sure it was there. Where else could it be? We know Uncle Ron doesn't have it with him. At this point, our parents didn't even know it existed. And how else would Voldemort and his Death Eaters have known? It has to be there."

"It's not there, Jamie," Shay said.

"You don't know that for sure," Jamie snapped. "You weren't there!"

"But I was. It's not there, Jamie," Will said quietly.

Jamie deflated. "You know what this means?"

Will and Shay exchanged glances. "We'll have to stop this whole thing at Hogwarts," Will said grimly.

As if on cue, an owl suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed in front of the trio. "What in the world?" Jamie stared for a moment, then bent down and untied the letter that was attached to the owl's leg.

Will watched apprehensively. To receive an owl meant someone knew who they were. Or perhaps the owl had gotten lost or was trying to deliver mail to someone else. The latter thought was dashed when Jamie looked up at him, face pale. "There are three letters." She handed them to Will.

Shay looked over his shoulder as Will read the envelopes. The first one read:

Mr. William Weasley

The Woods outside the Burrow

Ottery St. Catchpole

The second read:

Mr. Seamus Longbottom

The Woods outside the Burrow

Ottery St. Catchpole

Will knew what the third would say.

Ms. Jamie Potter

The Woods outside the Burrow

Ottery St. Catchpole

Will passed Jamie and Shay their letters. He opened the envelope addressed to him and read aloud, "It's from 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Dear Mr. Weasley, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Sixth Year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September first. I realize that there are unconventional circumstances surrounding your enrollment, and will await your owl no later than August fifteenth. If and when you arrive, you are to speak immediately to me. Yours sincerely, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorcerer, Chief Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards.'"

"Mine says the same thing. Well, except it says Ms. Potter instead of Mr. Weasley, of course," Jamie stared at her letter. "Do you think he knows? Professor Dumbledore, I mean?"

"It sounds like it," Shay said, his eyes practically burning his letter in their intensity. "And that doesn't bode well for us."

"It might," Jamie said thoughtfully. "Dad and Mum always said Professor Dumbledore always seemed to know everything, whether he said it or not."

"We can't tell him why we're here, though," Shay said warningly. "I doubt he knows that much. He might know we're from the future, but I doubt he know why we came back. And if we tell anyone, especially Dumbledore, word could get back to the very person we're trying to stop."

"We know, Shay," Jamie said in annoyance.

Will had to contain himself to keep from rolling his eyes. He often wondered just how Shay and Jamie had managed to survive with each other for so long, as they were constantly at each other's throats. "The question is, are we going to accept these?"

There was silence for a moment, and then Shay replied, "You and I should, Will. Jamie shouldn't. She should stay somewhere near the school and watch Molly."

Jamie looked outraged. "What? Just because-"

"You look like your father?" Shay shot back before Jamie could finish her outburst. "What do you think would happen if you went to Hogwarts, Jamie? You would be found out in no time. Will, on the other hand, looks enough like his mother that no one would suspect him as a Weasley, and enough like his father that it's not obvious he's a Granger."

Will saw Shay's point exactly. "And Shay looks almost nothing like his father, and almost exactly like his mother."

"And since my mother isn't at Hogwarts yet..." Shay trailed off and looked pointedly at Jamie.

Jamie pursed her lips. "Great. Just because I look like my dad, I'm going to be stuck doing nothing while you guys go to Hogwarts? Besides watching Molly," she glared at Shay as he opened his mouth.

"Not nothing, James. You'll be able to get information for us other ways. We'll work it out. And if all goes well, we'll be able to have this all sorted out in no time," Will said, trying to sound positive. He knew his cousin was never happy if she was left out or behind.

Jamie sighed heavily and crossed her arms. "Fine. We'll send the owl back saying you and Shay will go to Hogwarts." She looked at the second piece of paper that had been in her envelope. "We'll have to go to Diagon Alley to get these school things. Do we have the money for that, Will?"

"I think so. And if we run out of wizard money, I suppose we can always get the Muggle money changed if we need to." Will patted the bag that was still hanging from his side.

"Right then," Jamie said, still looking quite put out. "Diagon Alley it is."

Ginny picked up a Reciprocated Mirror and turned it over, looking at the price marked on the back. She sighed and looked over at Ron. "One galleon. And we both need one."

Ron glanced over his shoulder to make sure Hermione was out of earshot. Harry was down the street at Quality Quidditch Supplies.

"Plus the books we have to get. I know that The Dark Arts: How to Defend Against the Expected and Unexpected was just published. We won't be able to get it used," Ginny continued. True, while their father had been in a better standing since the Ministry accepted that Voldemort was back, he still wasn't making very much money. That, along with his pressing duties with the Order, made for their usual lack of funds.

"Ronniekins! Gin!" a voice interrupted Ginny's diatribe.

"Hey, Fred!" Ron grinned.

Ginny grinned and spun around. "Fred!" She threw herself on her brother, the Mirror still in her hand. "I haven't seen you all summer! How's business?"

"Business is great," Fred grinned. "Aside from a few...er...tests gone awry-you'll notice the result of one of the tests when you see George."

Ginny raised her eyebrows, but chose not to comment.

Fred glanced over where Ron was studying a Reciprocated Mirror, then looked down at the one in Ginny's hand. "What're those for?"

"Dunno. We need them for school, though."

"Oh, good," Fred said cheerfully, taking the mirror from Ginny. "George and I were going to get you guys some of your school junk." He walked forward and held out his hand to Ron. "Here, I'll go buy them for you."

Ron narrowed his eyes. Ginny willed him to stay silent. She knew that he hated being poor-all right, so did she, but she could accept help. It was harder for Ron.

Still, he did know when to give in, whether he wanted to or not-some of the time. He handed over the Reciprocated Mirror. "Anything else you need here?" Fred asked.

Ron shook his head.

"Right, then." Fred took the Mirrors to the counter to pay.

"Look what I found!" Hermione reappeared beside them, holding a small, round metal ball. "It's a Gourl! You know what this does, don't you? It-" She broke off when she saw Fred walking toward them, a bag with the Mirrors in one hand. "Fred! We were just going to come visit your shop!"

"Hey, Hermione. I'll walk back there with you. George and Lee are manning it right now," Fred said, handing Ginny the bag and leading the way out of the store.

Hermione poked Ron, who looked a bit glum. "What's wrong, Ron?"

"Nothing," Ron said shortly. He walked quickly out the door after Fred, leaving Hermione and Ginny to trail after them.

"What's he all bothered about this time?" Hermione sighed, looking at Ginny.

"Life," Ginny replied, feeling that in this case, she shouldn't tell Hermione what Ron was upset about.

They continued on up Diagon Alley, greeting or waving to people they knew. Some people, Ginny noticed, had multi-colored bits of something that looked rather sticky in their hair. Ron had caught up to Fred and was talking to him. Hermione called a greeting to Dean Thomas, who was standing outside of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "How are you two doing? Are you still...together?" Hermione asked Ginny.

Ginny made a face. "Nope. Lasted for all of two weeks. We just realized we're too different for that kind of relationship."

Hermione smiled, and Ginny was a bit suspicious at the knowing look on her face. She wondered if Hermione had something figured out that she didn't-which wouldn't surprise her; Hermione always seemed to know everything.

Fred and Ron stopped in front of a small shop sandwiched between a tiny apothecary and a small shop that sold wizard music and music supplies. A sign that flashed brilliant colors read: Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Ginny and Hermione halted beside Fred and Ron. "Behold! Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!" Fred waved at the building with flourish. He grinned and led them into the shop. Ginny noticed a sign in the window that said, Owned and Operated by Fred and George Weasley. We are not Liable for any Injuries Incurred Within. Enter at Your Own Risk!

Ginny was the last one in. Instead of a bell signaling entry, a loud BANG! sounded, and Ginny jumped. The next moment, her head was showered with something gooey. She raised her eyebrows, touching her hair, and something brightly colored came off. She looked at Fred, Ron, and Hermione, who all sported the same colored goop. Well, that explains people out in Diagon Alley who had colored hair, Ginny thought with amusement, wiping her hand on her robe.

Lee Jordan, the twins' longtime best friend, was sitting on the counter. "Hey, all!" he greeted, grinning.

"Hi, Lee. Where's George?" Ginny asked, looking around the store. It was amazing. Here, within this building, was the result of years of Fred and George's work...years of sneaking behind their mother's back...years of working around the rules and dodging prefects...

"Gin!"

"George!" Ginny spun around to see her brother, then stopped and gaped. "George?"

George Weasley was standing in a doorway behind the counter. He was completely bald and his skin was... "Um, George? You're green. And...hairless."

"Thanks for telling me, Gin. I never would have guessed." George grinned.

"This was the experiment gone awry, then?" Hermione asked wryly.

Fred, George, and Lee all grinned at her. She looked as if she were about to roll her eyes, but stopped herself. "This is an...interesting place you have."

Ron moved over to a rack of Puking Pastilles and said in an awed voice, "It's great."

"The Leaky Cauldron." Shay looked at the building squeezed between a record shop and a big book shop. Muggles didn't even see it as they walked by, carrying out their busy day.

He and Will had apparated here, while a very disgruntled Jamie stayed with Molly in a shelter they had located outside of Ottery St. Catchpole. It was a small, empty house that had a FOR SALE sign on it. Jamie had protested staying, saying that if she couldn't go to Hogwarts, the least she could do was see Diagon Alley. They had again reminded her of how many Hogwarts students would be shopping there and would recognize her for looking like Harry Potter. Shay knew that as much as Jamie blustered, she knew that safety and secrecy was of the utmost importance, and she would do whatever she had to to ensure that. Shay had concluded ages ago that she just blew a lot of hot air. It didn't help that Jamie said he was full of himself.

Shay had been to Diagon Alley before, but in their time, it had been one of Voldemort's playgrounds. It was full of people who scraped for any remnant of a magical item, looking for anything that would help them survive. It was constantly scoured by Death Eaters, so going there was an especially risky business.

Shay and Will exchanged glances, then stepped cautiously into the Leaky Cauldron. Shay had glanced over his shoulder before he realized he was doing it again. He had learned to always look over his shoulder, watching for people who might be following him. This isn't the future. This is the beginning of the future. The beginning of the darkness, he told himself. And it will be the end of it.

"Hello, boys!" a cheerful voice said from the bar in the Leaky Cauldron.

Shay studied the bartender with narrowed eyes, immediately assessing him to see how great a threat he might be. He was old, bald, and had a strange, toothless smile. Will smiled and said politely. "Hello. We're here to get school supplies."

"'Course you are. Can I get you anything before you head out to shop?"

"No, thank you," Will replied. "We'll just be on our way."

They headed out back, to the brick wall that guarded the entrance to Diagon Alley. Will tapped several bricks, and a small hole appeared, growing until it was a huge archway. Will slowly stepped through, followed closely by Shay.

They were immediately swept into a colorful world of bustling witches and wizards, calling out to each other, laughing, talking, hurrying children along... The boys stopped and stared in wonder for a moment. "Wow," Will said softly. "This sure is different."

"No kidding." Shay pulled out his school list. "We need to find a bookstore. Wasn't Flourish and Blotts a bookstore once?"

"Yeah, there were books here and there," Will replied.

They headed down Diagon Alley, twisting in and out of people, dodging owl cages and someone trying out a new broomstick, and keeping an eye out for anyone or anything suspicious.

Shay was the first one to spot it. "Will. Look." He nodded at a small shop squashed between two others. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"It's my uncles' shop," Will said in awe. "I mean, I knew it would be here...but..."

"We should go," Shay prodded. He knew, of course, that they would run into the Weasleys at Hogwarts, but the longer they could avoid meeting them, the better, in his opinion.

"Right." Will reluctantly pulled his eyes away from the store. Shay continued on past him, but stopped when he heard two voices say, "Oof!" He spun around and froze. Will was helping a girl up-apparently, they had bumped into each other and the girl had fallen.

Not just any girl. This girl had bright red hair-covered in some kind of colored gunk-brown eyes, and a ton of freckles. Ginny Weasley. Will's aunt. Jamie's mother. Shay knew that Will wouldn't blow this meeting, but his mind raced furiously just the same.

Will seemed shocked, but recovered himself quickly. "I'm sorry about that," he said, smiling. It always amazed Shay how Will could smile no matter what the circumstances were. He was sure it was a learned art.

"Oh, no, it was my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going." Ginny returned his smile.

"Your, um, hair...it's very..." Will began, motioning at Ginny's hair.

"Oh," Ginny's smile widened to a grin. "My brothers own Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, and they have a very interesting way of welcoming customers into their shop." She shook her head. "You'd have to know them." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Ginny Weasley."

"Will W...arren," Will returned, shaking Ginny's hand.

Now that Shay was positive the meeting was going pretty smoothly, he approached, nodding at Ginny.

"This is my friend, Shay Long," Will introduced. "Shay, Ginny Weasley."

"Pleased to meet you," Ginny shook Shay's hand. "Are you two going to Hogwarts? I've never see you before."

"We're new to Hogwarts. We'll be in Sixth Year," Will replied.

"Oh! My brother and his best friends are in Sixth Year. Here, I'll introduce you. They're coming out now-well, my brother and one of his friends are," Ginny waved at two people leaving Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Will froze when he saw them, and Shay thought, oh, no. Meeting Ginny is one thing...meeting them is something entirely different.

Ginny waved at Ron and Hermione. They saw her and headed over. "Guys, I want you to meet Will and Shay. They'll be in Sixth Year at Hogwarts." Will was the shorter of the two-in fact, he was not much taller than Ginny. He had neat brown hair, brown eyes, and a spattering of freckles. She had to admit to herself that had she met Will and Shay together, and Will had not bumped into her, she might not have noticed him at all. He was rather plain looking, and Shay's looks shadowed his by far. Shay was tall, with blond hair and cool blue eyes-he looked very much like he could be a model for Witch Weekly. He had a tense look about him, though-almost like he was waiting for a grindylow to reach out and grab him.

Will, she noticed, had gone rather pale. His freckles stood out sharply on his face. Shay looked even tenser than he had moments before.

"Oh! How wonderful!" Hermione said, stopping beside Ginny. Ron stood on Hermione's other side. "Are you transferring? Did you move here?"

Shay spoke for the first time. "We're transferring from a private school in Norway."

"Really? Which one? You don't sound Norwegian; did you grow up in England?"

"Hermione, I doubt they want to answer a ton of questions," Ron said. "They're probably overwhelmed as it is."

"Oh, Ron, I was just trying to be nice, and find out about them! There are three Wizarding schools in Norway-two of them are private. There used to be only one, but when-"

"Hermione! They lived there; they don't need a history lesson, and I don't, either," Ron cut her off.

"I'm sorry," Will said suddenly, looking at his watch. "We have to go. We have to...be somewhere soon."

"Well, it was nice meeting you, and I expect we'll be seeing more of you," Ginny smiled.

Will smiled back, then he and Shay turned and walked away.

"A little bit strange, weren't they?" Ron commented.

"Ron! They're about to start a new school. They're surrounded by strangers." Hermione fixed Ron with a stern look. "You be nice to them. You-"

"Hermione, I'm a prefect, as you're so fond of telling me. I have to be nice to them. Even if I didn't, when have I been purposely mean? Besides to Draco and his gang, I mean?"

Ginny tuned them out. Ron and Hermione were always going at it, and it usually wasn't worth listening to.

"Will? What's wrong?" Jamie turned and watched her cousin run up the stairs of the house they were borrowing. She spun on Shay, who walked in the door next. "What did you do to him?"

Shay narrowed his blue eyes. "I didn't do anything to him," he said coolly.

"Then what's wrong? Why was he so upset?"

Jamie expected Shay to snap back at her, but he said somberly, "He met his parents."

All of the fire drained out of Jamie. "We knew that might happen at Diagon Alley, and that it would happen eventually," she whispered. Still, she could only imagine what it would be like. She had never really known her parents. They had died when she was almost too young to remember. Will, on the other hand, had known his parents until shortly after Molly was born. It hadn't been so long since he had seen them.

"We met your mother, too," Shay said.

Jamie blinked. "My...mother?"

Shay nodded, then turned and walked back outside.

Jamie checked to make sure Molly was all right-she was sitting on the floor, playing with a doll that Will had brought for her. Then she headed upstairs. Will was in the first bedroom, staring out the window.

"Hey," Jamie said quietly. She walked forward until she stood beside him. The window gave a view of the woods outside. She was silent for a moment, looking outside. "Shay told me what happened."

Will kept his face turned away. "Yeah." His voice sounded suspiciously teary.

Jamie desperately wanted to ask about her mother, but she knew it would be insensitive. "I'm sorry." Jamie squeezed Will's shoulder.

"I'm not sorry I got to see them. It was just...hard." Will finally turned his fact toward her and wiped his wet cheeks. Jamie always found it ironic that of the three of them, Will was the only one who had no shame in crying. He offered her his smile-the one that would brighten anyone's day.

Jamie knew him well enough to know that it wasn't quite a real smile, but it was better than nothing.

"I saw your mom first, though," Will said, smiling for real now. "She's beautiful, James. And she's so nice."

"I wish I had met her," Jamie said wistfully. If things went as planned, she knew she wouldn't ever meet Ginny Weasley. "I wish I could meet her without giving us away."

"Me, too," Will sighed, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Me, too."

Summary: The future: where Voldemort and his Death Eaters rule. In a desperate act, the children of the Trio, Ginny, and Neville travel back in time in an attempt to stop something that changed everything for the worse. SPOILER WARNING: Takes place after Order of the Phoenix!

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. Will Weasley, Jamie Potter, Shay Longbottom, and little Molly Weasley belong to me, as to any other characters not recognized in any of the Harry Potter canon, unless otherwise noted.

Author's Notes: I apologize for the length of time between chapters. My life has been insanely busy, and I'm writing a lot of stories. Don't worry-I won't give up on writing this! Thank you for your patience.

I'm sorry I don't have time to list all of my readers individually right now, but thank you SO MUCH for reading and replying. I left you all more specific notes in your replies to me. :)

Chapter Four ~ The Journey to Hogwarts

"It's time for Shay and me to go meet the train," Will said, poking his head into Jamie's room. The month of August-and Will's sixteenth birthday-had come and gone more quickly than Jamie had expected.

"I know."

"Are you sure you and Molly will get to the Shack all right?"

"Will, would you stop worrying? Molly and I will be fine. You should be worried about yourself," Jamie replied exasperatedly.

"I am. I'm more worried how Molly will be, though," Will said.

"Will, I'm sure you and Shay will come see us. It's not like you're abandoning her or anything. Besides, you trust me. It's sure not the first time I've been alone with her." Jamie flashed him a smile.

Will offered a slow smile in return. "I know. Here. This should get you to Hogsmeade. Shay or I'll bring you food soon. Meanwhile there's a parcel downstairs that has food in it. It should last you a few days." He gave her a handful of their wizard coins.

Jamie pocketed them. "Thanks." She took him by his shoulders and turned him around, then gave him a push. "Stop acting like it's the end of the world. Get going." Her words brought the hollowness that was always inside of her to a crystal clear clarity. It was the end of the world that they faced. The end of what was good and just.

Will's smile became wistful. He turned back around and gave Jamie a tight hug, then left the room.

"Hey! Jamie!" Shay yelled up the stairs.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Yes?" she called.

"Don't go getting yourself killed or anything. I'd hate to try to bury you-it would blow our cover."

Jamie stuck her head out the door and glared down the stairs. "Thanks for the concern, Shay," she said sarcastically, fingering her wand and thinking, maybe I could just curse him once before he goes...

Will finished saying good-bye to Molly, and then he and Shay Apparated with two loud bangs. Molly stared at the place where they had been standing.

"It's all right, Moll. We'll see them soon." Jamie held out her hand to her little cousin. "Come on. We have to leave, too."

"Ginny! Ron! Hermione! Harry, dear! Time to leave, or you'll miss the train!" Mrs. Weasley called.

The four of them were just finishing up breakfast. They stood to their feet and moved into the hallway.

"Your bags are already outside. You'll be taking the Knight Bus, dears. Arthur and I have business to attend to this morning, so you'll be going alone." Mrs. Weasley frowned at them worriedly. "You will be all right, won't you?"

"Of course we will, Mum," Ginny said, kissing her mother on the cheek.

"Good-bye, Ginny dear. Be careful." Mrs. Wesasley pulled Ginny into a hug, then moved onto Ron. "And you behave yourself," she told him sternly.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Of course, Mum."

"I don't want any owls saying you're in trouble," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Mum, I'm a prefect," Ron reminded her.

"Yes, well..." Mrs. Weasley studied him fondly for a minute, then turned to Harry. "Be safe, Harry. Let us know if you need anything." She gave him a tight hug, then embraced Hermione. "You keep safe too, Hermione. Watch out for yourself."

"I will, Mrs. Weasley. You take care." Hermione stepped forward and stuck out her wand. With a loud pop, the Knight Bus appeared, swerving around a mailbox.

Jamie listened to the Knight Bus popping in and out to pick people up, but she paid it no mind. She was laying on one of the beds-which was sliding all over the place, of course-half asleep. Molly was completely asleep beside her.

She heard the voices of new passengers on the deck below her-she had taken Molly to the third floor of the bus to avoid as many people as she could. The voices sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite identify them. They quieted down, and she shifted on the bed.

A short while later, she heard Stan Shunpike call, "King's Cross Station!"

Jamie looked at her watch. 10:43 AM. Will and Shay should already be boarding the Hogwarts Express. There must be Hogwarts students on here, getting off to catch the train back to school.

Moments later, the bus was on its way again. When she finally heard the call, "Hogsmeade!" she grabbed her small parcel, scooped up the still-sleeping Molly, and exited the bus. She had a cloak pulled up over her hair, shadowing her face, so hopefully she wouldn't be recognized.

She made her way through Hogsmeade until she located the Shrieking Shack. Most people thought it was haunted by angry spirits, but she knew better. Right now, it would be the perfect hideout, and it would be close to Hogwarts.

She reached the Shack and looked around to make sure no one was watching. Making her way to the back of the Shack, she pulled out her wand and pointed it at one of the boarded up doors. "Abrelos," she whispered. The wood fell off the door, and she pushed it open. Turning back, she pointed her wand and murmured, "Cerre," and the wood jumped back into place.

Satisfied, Jamie took Molly upstairs to get to work settling things in a bit. The place was a torn down wreck, but it would work just fine for her purposes. She knew there was a path leading from here to Hogwarts grounds-it came out of the Whomping Willow tree. She had never used the path before, but had heard stories from her Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione.

Looks like this is home for now. Not nearly as bad as some of the homes I've had.

Platform nine and three quarters was packed with students and parents. While there were still cheerful shouts and greetings going around, Will couldn't help but notice that there was also a somber air to the gathering. Parents especially were looking over their shoulders, or hugging their children tightly. Of course...they had just found out that Voldemort had risen again. They would have known the previous year, if they had listened to Harry and Dumbledore. It had taken the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, an entire year after Voldemort's rebirth to actually accept that he had come back.

It made for a very wary wizarding world. With Voldemort loose and the Death Eaters free again, they had to be careful.

Just wait, Will thought grimly. This is nothing compared to my world. He and Shay blended in with the students. It helped that the school was so big, and so the students didn't know everybody. No one paid them any attention. They stashed their trunks and quickly found an empty compartment on the train.

It didn't remain empty for long. "Hello!"

Will's stomach lurched. Oh, please, not them...anyone but them... He glanced toward the door, where Hermione stood, Ron peering over her shoulder. "Is this compartment taken? May we sit with you?" Hermione continued.

Will opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. Oh, come off it, Will! You'll be seeing a lot of them; you have to get used to it!

Shay waved his hand. "There's plenty of room." He shot Will a look, and Will took a deep breath, forcing a smile to his face.

"Thank you," Hermione called, "Harry! Ginny!" and entered the compartment, Ron close behind.

Moments later, Ginny and Harry came in. It was the first time Will had seen Harry since arriving in this time. "Harry, this is Shay and Will. I'm sorry, I don't know your last names," Hermione said apologetically.

"Warren," Will managed. "Will Warren. Shay Long." He jabbed his thumb in Shay's direction.

"Hello." Harry nodded. "Hermione said you're tranfers, right?"

Shay and Will both nodded.

The arrival of another person kept anyone from asking them any questions. "Oh, hello," a dreamy voice came from the compartment door, and a blond-haired girl with big, wild eyes entered.

"Come on in, Luna," Hermione waved at her. There were more introductions. Will vaguely remembered hearing of Luna Lovegood-he was pretty sure she was a Ravenclaw, and he knew that she had helped his parents during their last years at Hogwarts. Other than that, he didn't know much about her. She had disappeared from the wizarding world before Will had been born.

"How was your summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, fine," Luna said vaguely. "Father and I didn't find any Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, though." She settled herself into the corner of one of the benches, pulling out a copy of The Quibbler.

Hermione gave a tiny snort. "I wonder why they didn't find any," she muttered sarcastically under her breath.

Either Luna didn't hear her, or she chose to ignore her.

As the train started up, beginning it's journey to Hogwarts, Will allowed himself to relax a little bit. He was still as watchful and wary as ever, but he told himself that if he had to look like a normal student. How hard could it be?

The first part of the trip was quite uneventful, though Will was still having a hard time getting used to the idea that he was in a compartment with his parents. The temporary peace was interrupted when a loud BANG! sounded outside the compartment, and a little ways down the corridor, followed by shouting.

Everyone in the compartment-excluding Luna, who was still staring dreamily at The Quibbler-jumped to their feet and hurried out of the compartment. Will squeezed in between Ron and Harry-he was too short to see over their heads-and looked at the commotion down the hall.

A mousy-haired, round-faced boy was breathing heavily, standing with his wand drawn, facing two bulky kids. A third student was lying against one wall, chin on his chest. It appeared that he had been blasted there by the mousy-haired student, which would have explained the bang they had heard.

It took a moment for Will to realize just who he was seeing. Neville Longbottom, he realized, staring at the boy who held the wand. He glanced over his shoulder at Shay, and their eyes locked. Shay nodded once, to show he, too, realized who he was looking at. His father.

Shay had never known his father-Neville Longbottom had been been killed when Shay's mother was pregnant with Shay. He had only ever seen pictures and heard stories about him. Looking at the two of them, Will realized that the pictures hadn't lied-Shay looked almost nothing like Neville. Their looks were night and day. If he hadn't known any better, he would have said there was no way they could have been related.

As far as the three people in front of Neville-as soon as the boy on the floor looked up, he knew at once that he could only be Draco Malfoy, which meant that the two goons still standing were Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. Draco had several spider legs sticking out of his cheeks and nose.

"Just what is going on here?" a voice demanded. A witch with her gray hair pulled back into a severe bun had entered the scene.

"Professor McGonagall, Longbottom attacked me," Draco Malfoy said at once, pushing himself to his feet. The spider legs wiggled, and Draco's hand clenched his wand.

"Mr. Longbottom?" Professor McGonagall turned to Neville.

"He provoked me, Professor!" Neville gasped.

"I don't care what he did; you should know better. Return to your compartment at once. As for you, Mr. Malfoy, you are a prefect. You should definitely know better than to behave in such a manner. You-"

The rest of what she was saying was drowned out when Hermione stepped forward and grabbed Neville's arm, pulling him toward their own compartment. Luna barely glanced up when they came in, taking their seats again. Neville was the only one who remained standing. He leaned against the wall, glaring at the door.

"What did he say, Neville?" Hermione asked.

"He was talking about my parents," Neville said stiffly. "He-" Then he noticed Will and Shay, and he abruptly stopped. "Who're you?"

"I'm Will Warren. This is Shay Long," Will introduced. "Neville?"

Neville nodded. "Neville Longbottom."

"That was great, Neville!" Ron exclaimed. "But all those spider legs..." Ron shuddered. "Before last year-" He caught the look Hermione was throwing at him and swallowed his words.

"I learned a lot last year," Neville said softly.

"I wonder what Professor McGonagall was doing on the train," Hermione wondered. "Maybe because of everything going on, they're putting teachers on the train now?"

Ron shrugged. Neville let out a deep breath and finally sat, his eyes landing on Shay and Will curiously. "You're not just starting Hogwarts, are you? I've never seen you around before, though..."

"We're transferring from Norway," Shay explained, showing no emotion, not even a hint at what he might be feeling talking to his father, in his voice.

"Wow. I've never known anyone to transfer to Hogwarts. I wonder if Dumbledore'll put you in the Sorting with the First Years?"

Will shrugged. Truthfully, he was wondering the same thing. The Hogwarts Sorting was legend. As Hogwarts didn't exist as a school in his time, he had never been to school, but he had always wondered which house the Sorting Hat would have put him in. Now, maybe, he would finally find out.

The carriages leading to the school were pulled by thestrals, which Shay looked at with interest. He had never seen them before, but knew what they were. "Interesting, aren't they?" Will said from behind him.

"You can see them?" this came from Hermione, who was watching them curiously.

Shay and Will exchanged glances, then nodded. Hermione looked as though she wanted to ask more, but she didn't. Instead she said, "You'd better grab a carriage." She hopped into one that was already almost full. Shay saw Neville get into another carriage, and studied him for a moment before turning his eyes away. The truth was, he was not sure what to think about his father. He wasn't sure what to feel about having finally met him.

Shay and Will got into a carriage that was full of Third Year students. Once the carriages were full, they made their way through the gates to the Hogwarts grounds, and there, Shay had his first glimpse of Hogwarts as it was when it was a school.

He had been here in his time, only recently, of course. It had been here that the Time-Turner had been kept, and here that he and Will had to sneak into to get the Time-Turner. That was why they hadn't been able to Apparate out to avoid the Death Eaters. It wasn't possible to Apparate onto or off of Hogwarts grounds.

When they exited the carriage, they were stopped by Professor McGonagall. "Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you. Please follow me." She led them into the castle, to a small side room, where Dumbledore himself was standing in front of a window.

Despite himself, Shay was in awe of the old wizard, and it was hard for anything to awe Shay. Dumbledore was the wizard. He was the one who had held Voldemort in check. It was because of Dumbledore that they were at Hogwarts right now.

"Thank you, Minerva. I will send them to you for the Sorting ceremony in a few minutes," Dumbledore said. He turned to face Shay and Will as Professor McGonagall nodded and left the room.

Dumbledore's twinkling blue eyes peered over spectacles as he gazed at Will and Shay. "Mr. Weasley and Mr. Longbottom."

"Just how do you know who we are?" Will spoke before Shay had the chance to open his mouth.

"There are ways of knowing when a witch or wizard appears in the world," Dumbledore said quietly, his eyes twinkling even more. "How do you think we locate students who have the potential to learn at Hogwarts? In the same way that we locate them, we discovered you when you appeared in this time."

"So you know who we are," Shay stated.

"Not completely. I know you are from a different time. You see, Time-Turners are registered. When one is registered to a user, they are free to use the Time-Turner. I was alerted to the use of an unregistered Time-Turner on the morning of August second. It was not hard to put the pieces together," Dumbledore said.

"Then why send us the Hogwarts invitations?" Shay asked suspiciously.

"Because I learned your names, as I do with all possible magical students in this area. William Weasley and Seamus Longbottom. Interesting, don't you think? There was also a Jamie Potter, who I see did not accept my invitation. I am not sure how you are related to the Weasleys or the Longbottoms or the Potters, or how far into your past you came, but I know the names of the families quite well. It is my belief that you have come here for a reason, and so I offer a safe place for you to be while you are here," Dumbledore said simply.

"You're just going to...trust us?" Shay asked, even more suspiciously.

"In essence...yes." Seeing the disbelieving look Shay was giving him, Dumbledore said, "I do not trust without reason, Mr. Longbottom."

Shay decided that Dumbledore knew more than he was explaining, but chose not to press the issue.

"So how is this going to work?" Will wanted to know. "We've been telling people we're Sixth Year transfers."

"Then that is what you shall go to the Sorting as. I assume you have changed your names as well?"

"Will Warren and Shay Long," Will confirmed.

"I will let Professor McGonagall know," Dumbledore said. "Now, I think, it is best we begin the Sorting. I'm sure the other students will appreciate it when the Sorting is over. They always seem so anxious for the feast to begin." With a wink, he led them out of the room.

Chapter Five ~ The Gourl

"This Sorting is taking forever," Ron moaned. "I'm hungry."

"Honestly, Ron, is that all you can think about?" Hermione clapped with the other Gryffindors as "Gelvey, Alison," was placed in Gryffindor.

Ron considered. "No. I can think about loads of other things, Hermione. Quidditch, for one."

Hermione sighed. "You're hopeless."

"Hey, Ron," Seamus Finnigan leaned across the table. "I didn't see your Mum and Dad at the train station, and they're always there. Are they all right?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances. "Yes, they're fine," Ron said. "We took the Knight Bus to the train station."

"Alone?" Seamus blinked. "With...everything going on? You-Know-Who back and all? They let you go alone?"

Hermione sighed. "Don't you read the Daily Prophet, Seamus?"

"Um...sometimes."

"Hall, Alisa!"

"Well, if you did, you might have read about how the Ministry has placed Aurors on the Knight Bus, and other magical areas. They're in disguise, so you never know who is an Auror. They also placed Aurors at the train station and platform nine and three-quarters today to keep an eye on the students," Hermione explained. "So we weren'talone, if by alone you meant we didn't have someone watching us."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Alisa Hall headed for the Gryffindor table.

"Oh."

The Sorting continued. Harry and Ron got into a discussion about Quidditch; Harry was going to get to play this year, and Hermione watched his face as he described a technique to Ron. He was positively beaming. She was glad they were back at Hogwarts, and especially glad that Professor Umbridge was gone. Harry had had a hard Fifth Year. Of course, it seemed he had it hard every year, but last year had been especially bad. Everything that he loved had been taken from him. She was happy to see that looking forward to Quidditch brought some joy to his life. She could only hope none of the teachers they had this year were evil. I wonder who the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is, she mused. The seat at the teacher's podium was still empty.

She did notice that both Professor Trelawney and Firenze, the centaur, were at the teacher's podium. I guess they really are both going to teach Divination.

She tuned back into listening to Harry and Ron's excited voices, with Ginny pitching in every once in a while. She might not understand the fascination with Quidditch, but she was certainly glad it gave Harry something to focus on.

As they waited at the back of the Great Hall as instructed by Professor McGonagall, Will whispered, "Did you catch what Professor Dumbledore said?"

"That he was alerted to our presence in this time?" Shay murmured.

Will nodded. "I don't know if it was a person or object who alerted him, but I didn't know that unregistered Time-Turners would alert anyone. Do you think someone else knows who we are?"

Shay considered. "It's a possibility, but I doubt it. Dumbledore didn't say that whatever or whomever was alerted by an unauthorized Time-Turner knew anything about us,just that we traveled back in time. Dumbledore guessed we were the ones who traveled back when he saw our names-or so he said. I do think that she knows who we are, though." Shay jerked his head at Professor McGonagall, who had just called out, "Thiddely, Aaron!" from her list of First Year names.

Will nodded his agreement. "If there's anyone else in this time we can trust, though, it's Professor McGonagall."

Shay nodded. "I know." His admission was saying something-trust did not come easily to either of them.

Aaron Thiddely was Sorted into Hufflepuff. When the final First Year, 'Yates, Yvonne,' was Sorted into Ravenclaw, Professor McGonagall cleared her throat. "Before we begin the feast-" her words brought several groans from around the room "-we have two Sixth Year Norway transfer students that must be Sorted."

Whispers ran across the room. "We're going to stick out like sore thumbs, mate," Shay muttered. "I don't think any of these kids have ever had a transfer student."

Before Will could reply, Professor McGonagall called, "Shay Long!"

Shay immediately strode forward, the eyes of the whole school on him. He would never have admitted it, but the thought of sitting under the Sorting Hat made him a bit nervous. Which House would it put him in? His parents had both been Gryffindors, but Shay knew that it wasn't always parentage that mattered. It was what was inside ofhim.

Not only that, but couldn't the Sorting Hat see into your mind or something? What would it see in Shay's? Would it know who he was? Would it see how he had grown up? It might be only a hat, but Shay didn't like the idea of anything seeing inside his brain.

Doing his best to look cool and composed, Shay took a seat on the stool beside Professor McGonagall. She dropped the Sorting Hat on his head, and it fell down over his eyes.

"Hmmm..." the Sorting Hat's voice said in his ear. "Interesting...very interesting."

Shay stiffened. What was the Sorting Hat seeing?

"You have a great deal of courage and bravery in you," the Sorting Hat told him. "You would do well in Gryffindor. Except...hmm, this is very interesting indeed. There is something in you that runs very deep...a will to do whatever is necessary complete a task." The Hat was silent for a long moment. "Yes, that is a very big part of you. It looks like you would do best in SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table burst into a round of cheers and applause. Shay yanked the Sorting Hat off of his head and made his way over to the table, taking a seat amongst the other Slytherins.

"Will Warren!"

Shay watched as Will took a seat on the stool and had the hat placed on his head. It only took moments before the Hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Shay was not at all surprised. Of course Will would be in Gryffindor. There was no other choice for him, really. He just wondered how it was going to be since he was in Slytherin. From all the tales he had heard, during their parents' days at Hogwarts, the Slytherins and the Gryffindors were at a constant battle with each other. In general, Slytherins and Gryffindors simply did not associate. It might make it a bit more difficult. On the other hand, the fact that they were in two different Houses could work to their advantage. Will would have the inside scoop on what happened in Gryffindor, and he would know what was going on in Slytherin. It will especially give me the opportunity to keep an eye on Draco Malfoy, he thought darkly. He glanced over at where Draco and his two cronies were sitting. Draco caught his eye and gave him a crooked little smile.

Shay looked away, disgusted and trying not to show it. Draco Malfoy had played a part in their parents' fates, and he had to again remind himself that he was here to prevent it. He couldn't afford to lose his cool in front of anyone-least of all Draco Malfoy, no matter what the slimy little worm had done...or had yet to do.

His eyes roved to the teacher's podium. He had noticed immediately that the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher wasn't there yet, and he wanted to know where she was. It was essential to know where she was. She played perhaps the biggest part in why they were here now.

Before he could think on it further, Albus Dumbledore had stood up. "Before we begin our feast, I would like to welcome everyone back to Hogwarts. As I'm sure you all realize, this is a dark time in the wizarding world."

No kidding, Shay thought.

"I ask each and every one of you to keep your eyes and ears open. Watch out for your fellow students. I would also like to remind you that Forbidden Forest is, as always,forbidden, despite what some of our students seem to think." His eyes roved over to the Gryffindor table. "Mr. Filch would also like me to let you know that there is a list of all unallowed items posted in the Entrance Hall, as well as on each of the message boards in your dormitories. Also, I'm sure you've noticed that our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is missing, but fear not-there has simply been a delay in her arrival. Your classes will still be held according to the schedule you will receive tomorrow morning."

"Now, let's eat!" Dumbledore clapped his hands, and food suddenly appeared on the plates and dishes in front of them.

As the Slytherins dug into the food, Shay could only stare it it. He could not remember ever seeing that much food. How could all of the students just sit there, eating and talking, as if it were nothing?

Shay glanced over at the Gryffindor table and met Will's eyes, knowing he had to feel the same way. For the first time, he felt a twinge of guilt that Jamie hadn't been able to come. She would have been amazed.

Then he brushed it aside. Ah, Jamie'll be fine. We'll bring her food. And without further ado, he dug into the masses of food in front of him.

Harry Potter had never been happier to be at Hogwarts, and that was saying something. This summer had been very long and very hard. Something inside of him had been frozen, and nothing-not Mrs. Weasley's kindnesses, not chats with Lupin, not even seeing Ron and Hermione-had warmed that place.

It was the place in his heart that Sirius held.

And Sirius was dead. Harry wondered how long it would take before his heart felt completely warm again. Would it ever heal?

Still, being at Hogwarts-a Hogwarts where Dumbledore was once more Headmaster, where Umbridge was gone, where he could again play Quidditch-lightened him more than anything else. Sirius would be glad I'm here. I just wish he could be here, too, Harry thought with a mental sigh.

He listened idly to the chatting going on as people ate. As soon as the feast was over, everyone headed for their dormitories. He was stopped by Professor McGonagall. "Mr. Potter, a word, if you please."

Harry hesitantly stayed behind in the Great Hall while the other students filed out. "I didn't do anything, Professor, I promise," he said uneasily, wondering what on earth she could accuse him of doing already.

"You're not in trouble, Mr. Potter." Professor McGonagall offered him a small smile. "I've come to talk to you about the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

Panic began to well up inside of him. He was going to be allowed to play, wasn't he? They surely weren't going to tell him that he was still banned? "What?" he asked cautiously.

"Well, as you know, both Ms. Johnson and Ms. Spinnet graduated last year. The team captaincy was offered to Ms. Bell, as she is the senior member of the team, but she turned it down. So I would like to know if you would like the position?"

Harry could hardly believe what he was hearing. Him, team captain? "Seriously?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I wasn't serious," Professor McGonagall said, with some amusement in her voice.

"Well...sure...yeah...I mean..." Team captain! "Of course I'll take the position!"

"It will mean working harder this year. You're short two Chasers and one Beater, so you'll have to have tryouts."

When Fred and George had been banned off the team last year, Jack Sloper and Andrew Kirke had replaced them. They weren't nearly as good as Fred and George. Jack Sloper, however, had been a Seventh Year, and had graduated. Andrew Kirke...well, he could work with him.

And Ginny Weasley said she was probably going to try out for Chaser this year. She had replaced him as Seeker the previous year, and was actually surprisingly good at flying. So if she does try out, and gets the position, I'll just have to find another Chaser and a Beater. He could handle that.

"I still expect you to turn in your homework on time, Mr. Potter."

"Of course, Professor." Harry's mind was already racing with Quidditch plans. "And thank you!"

"Good night, then."

Harry wandered toward Gryffindor Tower, and for one of the first times since a fateful day in June, he wasn't thinking about-or trying not to think about-the death of Sirius Black.

When Harry entered the dorm he shared with Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean Thomas, he was a bit surprised to see that a sixth four-poster bed had been placed in the room. Then he remembered that one of the transfer students had been made a Gryffindor, and as he was a Sixth Year, he would be sharing the Sixth Year dormitory.

The dorm was empty-or so he thought. His roommates were down in the common room. It wasn't until he passed by the newly-placed four-poster that he realized the transfer student-Will, wasn't it?-was kneeling beside his bed, rifling through a small bag.

"Hello," Harry said.

Will jumped. "Oh! Hello! I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in." He hastily shoved something back in his bag and tucked the bag into the tiny trunk he had.

"Don't worry about it. Erm...are you settling in all right?"

"Fine, thank you," Will said. He stood to his feet. "I was just organizing a bit."

Harry hadn't really stopped to get a good look at Will. Though he had been traveling in the same compartment on the Hogwarts Express, he hadn't paid him much attention. Now that he really looked at him, he realized there was something almost familiar about him. He felt as though he should recognize him, but it wasn't much more than a faint sense of nostalgia. "You're from Norway, right?"

"Yes."

"But you have a British accent."

"I'm originally from England. Shay and I-our families worked together. They moved us from England to Norway before we had a chance to go to Hogwarts," Will explained, sounding a bit awkward.

Maybe he had seen Will in passing before Harry started Hogwarts? He couldn't think where else he could have seen him. "I see. Well, I hope you like it here." Harry moved over to his own bed, opening his trunk and hunting for paper, ink, and a quill. He wanted to write down some ideas for the new Quidditch season while they were still fresh in his mind.

"Thank you," Will said softly.

Harry almost didn't notice when he left the dormitory.

Will was getting a bit tired of everything being so odd and out of place. But I get that's what you get when you time-travel twenty-four years into the past, he thought ruefully. It was still hard for his mind to grasp that he was lying in a bed in the same room as his father, his uncle, Shay's father, and Seamus and Dean, who by their own rights had done plenty in helping to fight Voldemort. In fact, Shay had been named after Seamus Finnigan, because had it not been for Seamus, Shay would not be alive.

That was another whole story Will didn't want to think about, not now when he was still trying to get a grip on the whole idea that he was actually at Hogwarts. He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. You have to go to sleep, Will. Tomorrow's your first day of classes. Tomorrow was a Wednesday, so they would be starting their schedules in the middle of the week.

Neville let out a loud snore. Will jumped, then wanted to laugh at himself. I wonder how Shay's doing in the Slytherin dormitory. He hadn't been very surprised when the Sorting Hat put Shay in Slytherin. Shay had shown on numerous occasions that if dirty work had to be done in order to complete a job, he would do it. Will had sometimes wondered if Shay went a little too far, but in the situations they had been in, Shay's actions had always been justified.

It was long after midnight before Will finally drifted into a fitful sleep. He only slept for a few hours, so he woke before any of his roommates. He dressed quickly, heading down to the common room. He didn't expect anyone to be awake, and when he saw who was sitting in one of the chairs in the common room, he wanted to turn and run right back to his bed.

"Oh, hello!" Hermione said, offering him a smile. "You're up awfully early, aren't you? Have a seat." A piece of parchment covered in tiny writing was laid across a book on her lap, and she held a quill in one hand.

Resigning himself, Will sat on the chair across from her that she was motioning to. "I couldn't sleep," he said quietly.

"I imagine it must be hard, being in a new place, and your only friend was put in Slytherin." Hermione's nose wrinkled at her last word.

You have no idea, Will thought. "Yeah," he agreed. "What are you doing up so early?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, I couldn't sleep either, so I thought I'd write a note to a friend." She dipped her quill in an ink bottle that sat on a small table beside her, then continued writing. "Everyone should be getting up in about an hour or so, and then they'll all be heading down for breakfast."

Will nodded. He had never been very good at small talk, and wasn't quite sure what to say. He was afraid Hermione was going to start questioning him about the school in Norway, and how he had come to be here, but to his relief, she remained bent over her parchment, scratching out her letter. It gave Will time to relax and get used to being in her presence, so that by the time she had finished her letter, he was feeling much better about the situation.

She waited for her letter to dry, then rolled it up and tied it shut. "I'm going to run this to the owlery. If you need anything at all, please let me know. I'll be happy to help." She smiled at him, then headed for the portrait hole.

"Thank you," he called after her. As soon as she was gone, he stood to his feet. See now, he thought, that wasn't so bad, was it?

Breakfast was another matter entirely. In her desire to make him feel welcome, Hermione plunked Will right between Ginny and Ron Weasley. Again, he had to coach himself to be at ease with them-he was finding it easier to do each time he encountered them, and he figured soon enough he might be used to seeing them. Or mostly used to it, anyway.

His biggest shock came when an owl arrived for Ron. It wasn't the fact that he received an owl-it was what the owl brought him.

"Hmm. What's this?" Ron untied a small package from the owl's talon. "I don't recognize this owl..." He pulled a piece of pink paper off of the package and raised his eyebrows. At Will's close proximity to Ron, he could smell a faint flowery scent coming the paper. "It says it's from a secret admirer."

"What?" Hermione shot a hard look at Ron.

Secret admirer? Will wondered. Had his father really had a secret admirer?

Ron slowly opened the package, and when Will saw what was within, he had to bite his cheek to keep from making any noises. That was the object that he had searched Ron's room for-the one he had been unable to find. Ron held up the small, round, metal ball and frowned at it. "What is it?"

Hermione sighed impatiently. "I was trying to show one to you, back when we got our Reciprocated Mirrors. It's a Gourl."

Ron and Harry looked at her blankly. It was Ginny's turn to sigh at them. She rolled her eyes and said, "It's a new object-it's only just started being sold. It stores information for you. You can take it to your classes and record important information, so you don't have to take notes."

Ron looked at it speculatively. "Well, that'll come in handy...no more note taking...I wonder who gave it to me, though? It sounds like something you'd give, Hermione."

Hermione snorted. "Well, I certainly didn't send it as a secret admirer. And honestly, Ron, I wouldn't trust it. Who knows who could have sent it? It could be dangerous."

Yes, that's right. Listen to her! Will thought at Ron.

"You're just jealous," Ron retorted.

"What? Jealous! What would I have to be jealous about?"

Will resisted the urge to bang his head against something. While he had grown up with his parents poking fun at each other, they had never been this bad. At this point in time, they seemed to get into so many petty arguments that he wondered if they actually enjoyed them. How could they sit here and argue about a secret admirer when Ron held the fate of his world in his hand? Of course, he didn't know it was the fate of the world...

Ron and Hermione continued their squabble, until Hermione said, "Will you at least let Professor McGonagall look at it and make sure it doesn't have any spells on it?"

"Hermione, you-" Ron broke off with a huge sigh. "Fine. If it will make you feel better."

"It will."

It won't matter if Professor McGonagall looks at it. She won't find the danger in it, Will thought. It will show that it does precisely what it's meant to.

Well. The answer to that was easy enough. After Professor McGonagall looked at it, he would simply steal it from Ron and dispose of it.

After all...how hard could that be?

Chapter Six ~ Classes and Connections

As Shay had been about to leave the Great Hall to follow the others to the Slytherin House, Malfoy had approached him. "Hello, there. I see you were chosen for the best House. You'll find we're a pretty tight-knit group." He studied Shay carefully for a moment, then held out his hand and said, "I'm Draco Malfoy."

Shay clenched his teeth together. Don't be stupid, he told himself. If you can get near Draco, you might be able to learn a lot that could help those fighting Voldemort. Don't blow it. He forced himself to move his arm and quickly shake Malfoy's hand, but he had to coach himself not to break Draco's fingers.

There were so many things he would have liked to say to Malfoy-starting with, "You killed my mother," followed by some choice words that would have made Will cringe, and ending with a few well-placed curses.

"Let me know if there's anything you need," Malfoy told him. "I'm a prefect, and I'm sure I'll be able to get you what you want."

Then rot in your own filth, Shay thought bitterly.

After entering the long stone dungeon that was the Slytherin common room, Shay learned that he was to share a dormitory with the other Sixth Year Slytherin boys. That just so happened to be Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. Some company, he thought sourly. Just the people he didn't want to stay with. Facing Malfoy was hard enough. Talking to him was even worse. And to top it all off, Malfoy wanted to be friends with him.

Just about now he was actually starting to miss Jamie's sharp tongue. She would give him a telling-off if she knew what he was thinking. "At least you got to go to Hogwarts, Seamus Longbottom! You've been given the opportunity to befriend an enemy and learn things you might not have otherwise. So don't be a stupid git and let the chance slip by-no matter how much you hate Malfoy. Know your enemy." Yes, she would definitely say something like that. She might drive him insane sometimes-okay, a lot of the time-but she did have some sound advice when she wasn't blustering about other things.

Know your enemy. Well, if knowing Draco Malfoy could help him win this battle-then he would do it.

If he could restrain himself from cursing Draco first.

At breakfast the next morning, Shay kept to himself, watching Draco and the other Slytherins. Not all of the Slytherins were like Draco Malfoy. Some of them had actually helped fight against Voldemort. Shay recognized several of their names as future Aurors.

The thing with the Slytherin House, he had decided, was that they simply did not like Gryffindor. Their parents had indeed told the truth-there was a feud between Gryffindor and Slytherin that he didn't really understand. They were all wizards and witches, weren't they? They were all here at the school to learn magic, right? Didn't they know how much more effective they would be if they stood together?

One of the first examples of the feud that he witnessed was when Pansy Parkinson, the other Sixth Year prefect, went out of her way to harrass some nervous-looking Gryffindor First Years, and then threaten them with detention. He shook his head, disgusted. What was the point of all of this prattling?

When Shay entered the Great Hall and sat down, he scanned the Gryffindor table for Will, and found that he was squished between two bright red heads-Ron and Ginny. I wonder how he's been managing in Gryffindor. He turned back around and quickly ate his breakfast. Professor Snape, the head of Slytherin House-and someone that Shay greatly respected-passed out their class schedules. Shay looked his over. History of Magic, Double Charms, Divination: class two, Double Herbology (with the Ravenclaws).No Defense Against the Dark Arts class today. That class was tomorrow-he'd have to wait until then to officially meet the new teacher. There was a note on the bottom of the schedule that read: All Slytherins are required to take Muggle Studies. He had that particular class on Friday morning.

When he was finished with breakfast, he made his way out of the Great Hall, but was stopped by Will, who was waiting just outside the door for him. Grabbing him by the arm, he pulled Shay to the side, out of the earshot of any students. "Ron has it," he muttered.

"Has what?-Oh! Not the Gourl?" Shay whispered.

"Yes, the Gourl." Will quickly explained how it had been delivered. "Supposedly by a secret admirer! How low is that?"

"Low," Shay agreed. "And if Ron just got it in the post, I'm still not exactly sure why the information we had pointed to it being in his room. Maybe it was in there for a little while, and recorded information from his room. Voldemort and his lackeys didn't know that Ron wasn't staying at the Burrow this summer, though, did they? So maybe when they found out he wasn't there..."

"...they removed the Gourl until they could deliver it to him at Hogwarts?" Will said doubtfully. "Why not just send an owl to Ron while he was at the Order's headquarters, then?"

"I don't know. Maybe that will become clear the more we figure out. Are you planning on getting the Gourl from Ron?"

"Yes. I'm going to steal it after McGonagall has looked at it. I stay in the same dormitory as Ron; it shouldn't be too hard to do," Will sighed. "I have to get going. I have Defense Against the Dark Arts first thing this morning."

"I don't have it till tomorrow. Watch out for the teacher," Shay said darkly.

"Oh, I intend to," Will replied grimly. "Don't worry about that."

Harry was a bit apprehensive when he went to his first class on Wednesday morning, which was Double Defense Against the Dark Arts. He didn't even know who the teacher was-and that, really, was what made him nervous. He had yet to have the same teacher twice in a row. So far, the line of Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers hadn't been very encouraging. In his first year, the teacher had been possessed by Voldemort. Second year, the teacher had been an egotistical prick who had wound up losing his memory. Third year had been a wonderful year, with a fabulous teacher. Unfortunately, the fact that said teacher was a werewolf prevented him from returning the fourth year-in which a Death Eater had posed as someone else the entire year. Fifth year...fifth year had to have been the worst. Harry couldn't imagine a teacher more horrible and hateful than Professor Umbridge. She had been attacked my centaurs and had been moved to St. Mungo's hospital last June. He wasn't sure if she was still there, but he sincerely hoped she was.

Harry filed into class with the other Gryffindor Sixth Years, taking a seat between Ron and Hermione. Ron was still annoyed with Hermione's insistance that he get the Gourl checked out, but Harry knew that with everything going on lately, she was probably right.

Their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher sat on the edge of the desk, and all eyes turned to her. Harry hadn't been sure what to expect, but she certainly wasn't it. The woman on the desk was old, with a wrinkled face and tiny, peering blue eyes. Her long, lank gray hair fell about her face.

"Don't tell me Dumbledore got a hag this year," Ron muttered under his breath as murmurs ran through the class.

The old professor stood to her feet, and the class fell silent. "Good morning," she said in a wavery voice. "I know what you are thinking. You're wondering what business an old hag like me has in teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts." She paused, eyeing the class, and then continued. "Well, this is your first lesson of the year. Remember it well. Appearances can be deceiving. You can't always trust your what your eyes tell you." As she spoke, her voice became clearer. To Harry's astonishment, her stooped form began to straighten, and the gray hair seemed to suck into her scalp, shortening, changing. Whispers and exclamations sounded from the class.

An instant later, the hair turned pink, and Harry almost burst out laughing. It can't be...!

Within mere moments, the old hag was gone, and a young woman with bright pink spiky hair stood in front of them. Her now-dark eyes twinkled as she surveyed the class. "You see? You must learn that you cannot trust everything you see. Those that you believe to be one thing can turn out to be something completely different. Especially in this critical time, when the Death Eaters ranks are growing, or when people could be under the Imperius curse, you must be on guard." She smiled. "I will be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year, and I will do my best to arm you against the dark forces that are growing every day. My name is Nymphadora Tonks, but if I catch any of you calling me Nymphadora, the consequences will not be pretty." Her smile widened to a grin. "Yes? Ms..."

"Brown. Lavender Brown." Lavender lowered her hand. "Please, Professor Tonks, how did you do that? Did you transfigure yourself? Is this your true form?"

"I am a Metamorphmagus, Lavender. I have the ability to change my appearance at will. And yes, in essence, this is my true form."

"Though her hair changes a lot," Ron muttered, loudly enough for everyone to hear him.

"Yes, well, what fun would it be if I had to keep it the same all the time?" Tonks winked. "Now, then, I'm going to take roll, and then we'll get started."

Will sat at the back of the class, simply observing. He hadn't expected Tonks to be so...well...likable. From everything that he knew of her, he had expected someone that seemed more...underhanded. She was right about one thing, he thought ironically. You can't believe what your eyes show you. How easily the class fell for it. When the class ended and the students filed out of the room, they were talking excitedly about how wonderful Tonks was.

Wonderful. Right. Wonderful if you want your world to fall to Voldemort. He wanted to shake them, to tell them not to be deceived by how wonderful Tonks seemed.

Will's next class was Divination: class one. He didn't really want to go to it, if only because he found it a bit useless. What was the point in trying to Divine the future when he already knew it? Still, he followed the rest of the class to a room on the first floor. Entering, he found that it was like stepping into a forest. He couldn't even tell that he was in a classroom. The teacher was a centaur named Firenze.

Despite his initial hesitation, Will found what Firenze had to say a bit interesting, though by the time class was over, he had a headache. If there was one thing to be said, it was that Divination was very complex and very complicated, and Will Weasley had enough in his life that was complex and complicated right now.

Lunch break followed, and the following class, Double Transfiguration, was much more interesting than Divination. It was taught by Professor McGonagall, and she was teaching the Sixth Years to change owls into book bags, then back into owls.

Will was at a loss. While there were some things he was far advanced in-such as Apparating, using Illusionment Charms; anything that could aid in fighting or escaping from Voldemort's forces-he had limited knowledge of how to do practical magic. He had never been to school, and everything he learned came from things his parents had taught him, or things that he, Shay, and Jamie had taught themselves. The three of them had even learned to modify some spells for their use, but he had no idea how to change a mouse into a cup-something he discovered the other students had learned in Second Year-let alone an owl into a book bag. It was something he had simply never found useful.

Professor McGonagall approached his desk while the other students worked on their owls. Will was afraid to try to do anything to the owl, lest he accidentally harm it beyond repair. "Mr. Warren?" McGonagall said quietly. "Is there a problem?"

She knows I'm from the future, Will thought. He cleared his throat. "Um...sorry, Professor, but I don't know much about transfiguring animals. I can turn a feather into a matchstick, but that's about the extent of my transfiguration skills," he said apologetically.

Professor McGonagall frowned, but didn't question him. "I see," she said. "Well, then. Do you have anything scheduled for this evening?"

"No."

"Then meet me in this classroom at seven o'clock tonight, and I will help you with your transfiguration."

Surprised by the offer, Will could only say, "Thank you."

"Watch the class carefully. Observe what they are doing." Professor McGonagall instructed. Will nodded, and she moved on to the desk where Hermione, Ron, and Harry were standing. She spoke to Hermione for a moment, and Hermione nodded.

Will felt useless standing there doing nothing, but he did watch what the rest of the class was doing. It didn't take him long to see that when the complicated wand movement was done correctly, and the word to transfigure the owl was spoken at just the right moment, the owl would change into a perfect little bag. Hermione seemed to be the only one who could get it exactly right. Timing everything perfectly was hard, and the rest of the class was having trouble with it. Several students were chasing bags that had taken flight, as the wings hadn't disappeared.

When Transfiguration was over, he had only History of Magic left. He had thought it would be interesting, learning about the things that had happened years ago, discovering more about how this present day had come to be shaped. He was disappointed, though: it was the most boring class he could imagine. Professor Binns, the ghost who taught the class, made no attempt to make it interesting, but spoke dully of Goblin wars and dates of wizarding decrees that had been passed. Will found it extremely hard to pay attention, but did his best to take notes. His concentration was made worse by the fact that Ron had the Gourl set out on his desk to record what notes he wanted to take.

He was thoroughly grateful when the class had ended.

Try-outs for the Gryffindor Quidditch team are to be held on the Quidditch Pitch at 4PM, Thursday, September 3. Positions needed: two Chasers and one Beater.

Ginny eyed the sign that was posted on the common room bulletin board.

"Are you going to try out?" a voice beside her asked.

Ginny jumped, then glanced over to see Will Warren standing there, a bag slung over one shoulder. She had noticed he had the uncanny ability to come up on people unaware. "I'll probably try out for a Chaser position," she said. "I played Seeker last year, since Harry couldn't do it-he's the Gryffindor Seeker, but there were...complications last year. How about you? Are you going to try out?"

Will's eyes widened. "Me? Oh, no. I hate flying."

"Really? Why? It's so much fun!"

"It's so...high." Will shuddered.

Ginny laughed. "Well, yes! But that's half the fun of it. It's so freeing."

"I like my feet on the ground, thank you," Will said drily. He was quiet for a minute, but Ginny sensed that he wanted to say something.

"Can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"Well...yes, actually. Do you know where the kitchens are?"

"The kitchens? Yes, of course. But we just ate dinner..."

"Well, it's just that...sometimes I stay up late studying, and I can't really store leftover dinner in my dormitory, and..."

Ginny held up her hand. "Say no more. I understand completely. To get to the kitchens, you just go down the stairs to the entrance hall, and go through the door to the left. You'll find yourself in a hallway with a bunch of paintings of food. Find one that has a big fruit bowl, and tickle the pear. The house-elves will be thrilled to get you whatever you want." She grinned. "Fred and George used to go there all the time and sneak food back to the dormitories, especially for parties. My brothers," she explained. "They're the ones that own Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

A wistful smile crossed Will's face. "I see."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Ginny asked curiously.

"Yes...a little sister. She's three," Will said softly. "Well, I'd best get going. Good luck on the tryouts!"

"Thank you." Ginny watched Will walk toward the portrait hole and shook her head.

"Making friends, I see." Alexia Bordell, one of the Fourth Years with whom Ginny shared a dormitory, sidled up to Ginny, a grin on her face. "So...I heard you broke up with Dean. Are you aiming for him now?" She jerked her head toward Will as he slipped out of the portrait hole.

Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Will? You're kidding, right? He is so not my type. He's just so quiet...sweet, though." She cocked her head to the side. "It's just weird...I think if I went out with him, I'd feel like I was dating my brother or something."

Will had carefully planned his evening. He had to be at the Transfiguration classroom at seven, and he also needed to bring Jamie and Molly food. Then he had to steal the Gourl from Ron. He had the bag he had brought from his own time with him now; it was emptied of everything save two objects: Jamie's invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map, both passed onto her from her father. The other things that he had brought from their time, including his mother's journal and the Time-Turner, had been tucked safely into his trunk.

He and Shay had met up briefly that afternoon and decided that they would alternate bringing Jamie and Molly food. Tonight was Will's night, since he already had the invisibility cloak and Map in his dorm, and since he already had to be out meeting McGonagall. He could just leave from there, find the kitchens and get some food, put on the invisibility cloak, and head out to the Shrieking Shack.

He was finished his lesson with Professor McGonagall by eight. She had simply asked what he did know about Transfiguration, then went over some of it with him, and gave him a copy of A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration. "We'll meet again on Friday, at the same time, Mr. Warren," she told him. "And I've asked Ms. Granger to meet us then. She was busy this evening, or she would have come. She has agreed to help you with Transfiguration as well. She's the best student I have, indeed one of the best I have ever seen, and will be have time to teach you more in her spare time."

Hermione. Figures. Fate just loves me, doesn't it? Will thought wryly. He nodded and grabbed his bag. "Thank you," he said quietly.

It took him a bit longer to find the kitchens, but he finally located the painting of the giant fruit bowl. He tickled the huge pear, and the picture swung open. He cautiously entered the kitchen, and was immediately greeted by a dozen house-elves, all asking what they could do to help. Getting a basket of food that would last Jamie and Molly a couple of days was the ridiculously easy. He had the basket, and was about to leave, when one particular house-elf entered the kitchens and began to walk past him. He had bulging green eyes and a long, thin nose. Perched on top of his head were a dozen or so knitted hats, and he wore two huge socks-one that was pink and green striped, and one with blue polka-dots. Will blinked. "Dobby?"

The house-elf froze and turned around. "Yes?" He peered up at Will curiously. "You know Dobby?"

Will tried to think of something to say. He had known Dobby, certainly, but of course the house-elf wouldn't know him. "I've...heard of you," Will said. "From my...roommates. Ron Weasley, Harry Potter..."

Dobby's eyes lit up. "Ah! Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley! Yes, yes! Dobby knows them well! And lovely Hermione Granger, who makes Dobby all these hats!" He pointed to the pile on top of his head. "But Dobby does not know your name."

"I'm Will," Will said, crouching down.

"An honor to meet you, Will. If ever you need anything, please don't hesitate to tell Dobby! Dobby will be glad to help a friend of Harry Potter's!" The elf bowed low, and Will wondered why the hats didn't fall off of his head.

"Thank you," Will replied, smiling. "I'll be sure to let you know if I need anything." With a nod to Dobby, Will stepped out of the kitchen. He set the basket of food on the floor. Looking around to make sure no one was around, he quickly pulled the Marauder's Map out of his bag. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he whispered. A map of Hogwarts suddenly appeared, and dozens of names covered the map. Most of the names were congregated in the Houses, so smashed together and on top of each other that they were impossible to read, but many people were wandering the halls. No one was nearby, though. Will yanked the invisibility cloak out from his bag and pulled it over him. He picked up the basket and pulled it under the cloak.

Then he cautiously made his way out of the castle and across the grounds, heading for the Whomping Willow. At its base was an entrance to a passage that led from Hogwarts grounds to the Shrieking Shack. It was designed to beat away anyone-or anything-that tried to get near it. There was a knot at the base of the tree beside the entrance that, when pressed, would freeze the Whomping Willow. Will wouldn't have known where the knot was, except that when he and Shay had been on Hogwarts grounds getting the Time-Turner, they had watched a Death Eater use the passage. The Death Eater hadn't seen them, as they had been under the invisibility cloak.

Will dropped to all fours so he could see under the branches-well, he dropped to his knees and one hand; the other one clutched the food basket-and crawled quickly toward the tree. Being invisible didn't matter; the Whomping Willow had been enchanted to detect whatever was near it, seen or unseen. He moved until the tree began swinging at him, and then he froze, aiming his wand at the knot in the trunk. He waved the wand, sending a surge of pressure at the knot. The Whomping Willow abruptly stopped moving, and Will hurried to the entrance.

It was a pain going through the passageway. It was long and he had to stoop as he walked, holding his lit wand in one hand and the basket of food in the other. When he reached the end of the tunnel, he found his way blocked by a plank of wood. He carefully pushed it, and it opened. Will was about to exit the passage, but came to a halt when there was a sudden crack, and a wand suddenly appeared in front of him. Sharp green eyes peered past him-or through him, rather. He pulled off of the invisibility cloak, and Jamie sighed, lowering her wand. "Oh. It's you, Will."

"Nice welcome, James," Will said mildly.

"I was about to send a stunning spell at you. You might consider taking off the cloak before you actually come in next time," Jamie replied. "The entrance hole was wide open, so I covered it with a piece of wood and put a spell on it to warn me if anyone tries to come through."

"Sorry." Will handed her the basket. "I brought you guys some food, though."

"Why don't you come down the hall? That's where we're staying. I was just putting Molly to bed. Until my spell-alarm went off and I Apparated over here to see who was intruding."

Will followed her through the run-down house. They walked past a stairway that was falling apart and into a room off to the side. "I went upstairs, but I'm afraid if we stay up there, the stairs will collapse on us one of the times we go up and down, so we're staying on the first floor," Jamie explained.

The room they had entered had two beds in it, one four-poster and one that was nothing more than a mat on the floor. Molly sat on the mat, but when she saw Will, she jumped up and ran at him, flinging herself on his legs and clinging to him. Will reached down and pulled Molly into his arms. "Hello, Molly bear. I hope you've been behaving for Jamie."

Molly simply looked at him solemnly with her brown eyes and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Her hair was wet and smelled clean, and Jamie's was wet, too, so Will guessed Jamie had spelled bath water for both of them.

"How are you doing, James?" Will asked quietly.

"Honestly? I'm bored," Jamie said wryly. "So bored, in fact, that I actually cleaned." She shuddered, as if cleaning was a horrible punishment.

Will looked around. This is clean? What did it look like before, then?

Seeing his expression, Jamie said, "You should have seen the dust." She was silent for a moment, looking at him in expectation, and then said, "Well? So tell me what's been going on! How was the train? What House are you and Shay in? Have you had classes yet?"

Will sat down on the four-poster and gave her the run-down of everything that had happened the last two days. When he was finished, Jamie sat quietly, absorbing all of the information. "So the Gourl has arrived...and you met Tonks." She sighed. "I had hoped that we could stop the Gourl before our parents got to Hogwarts, so we wouldn't have to deal with Tonks."

"I know," Will sighed.

"So you said you're going to steal it from your dad and dispose of it-how are you going to dispose of it?"

"I'm going to send it to Dumbledore-anonymously, of course-with a note giving him the specifics of how to find the spell that's been buried in its normal workings," Will replied.

"So he can find the Gourl's connection to Tonks," Jamie stated.

"Yes," Will said, wrinkling his nose. "And to Voldemort's mirror."

Will stayed for a bit longer, then said good-bye, promising that Shay would come back in two days with more food. Molly clung to his leg, looking up at him. He crouched down and kissed her on the nose. "I'll be back soon, Moll. You take care of Jamie for me, okay?" He winked at Jamie. Straightening up, he pulled the invisibility cloak on and left.

Chapter Seven ~ Learning Curves

On Thursday, Shay had only three classes: Double Transfiguration, Double Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Double Potions, which was to take place with the Gryffindors. Transfiguration didn't go as well as he would have liked; he wasn't at all adept at the subject. Professor McGonagall seemed to expect that he wouldn't quite know what he was doing, and after class, she pulled him aside. "I've assigned Mr. Warren extra Transfiguration classes, and I think you would do well to join him. If you would please meet in this classroom on Friday at seven in the evening, I will see to it that you get extra help on your Transfiguration."

Shay blinked. "Professor McGonagall, not to sound rude, but...well, I never really saw the point of turning a tortoise into a teapot. I-"

Professor McGonagall's eyebrows shot up. "A tortoise into a teapot? Mr. Long, is that all you think Transfiguration is good for? The study of Transfiguration is used for many things, but if you work hard on it, you can learn to Transfigure yourself, not only tortoises. It is something that Aurors use quite frequently to keep themselves hidden."

Shay sighed to himself. "I know. My mother was an Auror." What was he supposed to tell her? That in the future, it didn't matter? That the Death Eaters had devised ways of telling when someone had Transfigured? That there was really no point in learning the small things in Transfiguration if the big things weren't going to do you much good? He decided that it wasn't worth making a scene over, and nodded shortly. "All right. I'll take the extra classes." When Professor McGonagall dismissed him, he went to his Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

He hadn't had a chance to talk to Will during lunch or dinner the previous day, and so he wasn't quite sure what to expect from Tonks. He certainly hadn't expected her to be so cheerful and seem so nice. If he hadn't known what he did about her, he would have actually liked and respected her-especially after she told Draco Malfoy off. Draco had been muttering rude things about Tonks to Crabbe and Goyle, and didn't even pay attention to the spell that Tonks suddenly threw at him. It struck him full on, and the hairs in his nose began lengthening at a very rapid rate. Malfoy grabbed his nose, a horrified expression on his face. Shay resisted the urge to laugh.

"And that, class," Tonks said idly, "is why you must always be on guard. You never know who might attack at any given moment." She graced Draco with a smile. "Isn't that right, cousin of mine?"

Murmurs ran through the class, and Draco glared at Tonks, still holding his ever-growing nose hairs. "No half-blood is a cousin of mine," he spat.

Tonks looked as though she would like to have laughed, but she simply pointed at the bookcase that sat in the corner of her room. "Curses and Countercurses," she told Draco.

"Excuse me?" he said coldly.

"Well, your nose hairs have reached the floor. I think you'll probably want to fix them before you go to your next class. I'm certainly not going to do it for you; you should have been paying attention. So you're going to look up how to fix your problem, and do it yourself," Tonks patiently explained.

Draco stood to his feet. "I certainly will not. I'm going to the hospital wing."

"I think not," Tonks said, her voice soft.

"I think so," Draco retorted.

Tonks sighed. "The choice is yours, Draco, but if you walk out that door, you'll get a detention."

"I don't care."

"And fifty points from Slytherin."

Draco hesitated, then held up his chin. Shay guessed that he was torn between his pride and his desire to win the House Cup-Shay didn't think he cared what the other Slytherins thought. Pride won out. "Fine." He turned, and holding his long hairs in his hands, stalked out of the classroom.

"Now, then, class. I hope you learned from this experience. You must always be on guard..."

When Shay entered the Potions classroom, down in the dungeons, he saw that Draco had returned from the hospital wing and was sitting at a table with Crabbe and Goyle. His nose hairs were back to normal. Will was also already there. Everyone had to share a desk. Shay was sitting beside one of the Slytherin girls, and Will was sitting at a desk with Neville.

Shay spared a glance at the round-faced boy who was looking toward the front of the classroom with some trepidation. That's my father. My father. He might not have ever known his dad, but he had always respected him. Neville had died well, and Shay knew it. Still, looking at his father, he wasn't quite sure what to feel. He felt oddly detached-but that didn't surprise him. He tended to block off his emotions to things when he wasn't sure how to handle them-or when he wasn't sure he wanted to handle them.

You did so much for so many people, Shay thought at his father silently. And I don't even know you.

Shay pulled himself from his thoughts when Professor Snape entered the room. Snape had also done much for the wizarding world and the fight against Voldemort, and had worked as a spy in Voldemort's ranks for years. Shay had never met him personally, but he was one of the wizards that had still been alive in the future.

As the class started, Shay found himself most surprised by Severus Snape in the way he treated the class. Shay had always had an image of Snape being an amazing hero. It was evident at the very beginning of the class that he favored the Slytherins, and very much despised the Gryffindors. Still, Shay was rather shocked at his treatment of the Gryffindors. He snapped at them, took points from their House over squabbles that the Slytherins started, and was outright mean particularly to Harry and his close friends.

It completely dashed the image Shay had held in his mind for so long, and he almost couldn't believe that this could be the same person who did so much for the cause of good. At one point in the middle of class, there was a loud popping noise. Shay turned to see purple smoke issuing from Neville's cauldron, and a pale liquid dripping to the floor.

Snape strode forward and peered into it. "Well, Longbottom, it seems that you have ruined yet another cauldron. I'm not at all surprised. Can you not read? The instructions for this potion were clear and simple, and anyone could have followed them-except, it seems, those who have the brain capacity of a Blast-Ended Skrewt."

Shay found himself clenching his hands into fists. He had grown up learning that things were rarely fair and just in the world, but his mother had always told him, "Life might not always be fair, Shay, but it is our duty to make it as fair as we can, whenever we have the chance."

And Snape...Snape was just plain mean to the Gryffindors. It angered Shay, and it angered him even further that the Slytherins laughed at it. At one point, he opened his mouth to snap at Snape, at the Slytherins, to tell them how wrong this was, but he caught Will's eye. Will had that I know you're about to say something rash, but please don't look. Speaking his mind regardless to the consequences was something that tended to get Shay into trouble, and that he was always trying to work on. He especially found his tongue running when he was around Jamie. He didn't understand how Will always seemed to be able to control his words.

Shay silently counted backwards from ten, reminding himself that he was trying to befriend the Slytherins, and learn more about their actions, and it wouldn't do much good if he turned on them and ganged up with the Gryffindors.

I hate this, he thought. I hate that everything in my life is a facade.

After class, he met up with Will very briefly. "Did you get the Gourl?" he muttered under his breath.

Will shook his head, frustrated. "When I got back from seeing Jamie last night, Ron had it out in the common room and was using the notes he had recorded to write his History of Magic paper. Then Hermione reminded him he hadn't had it checked by McGonagall, so he said he'd do it today. Then, just a few minutes later, Professor McGonagall herself came in, and Hermione pushed Ron to get him to talk to her about it-and Professor McGonagall took the Gourl with her to run the anti-jinx tests on it. So now I have to wait for him to get it back. I thought he would have just gotten Professor McGonagall to look at it yesterday after Transfiguration, but I guess he didn't. I wanted her to look at it first, anyway-because no matter what, she's going to have to run anti-jinx tests on it."

A Slytherin that was late in leaving the Potions dungeon passed and gave them an odd look. Will shifted his bag and sighed. "I'll get it as soon as Ron gets it back, and then send it to Dumbledore."

Shay frowned. "Why send it to Dumbledore? Why not just go talk to McGonagall or Dumbledore and tell them how to find the junk in the Gourl, instead of sending it to him?" Even as he asked, he realized the answers. "Oh. Because we don't know how closely Tonks is watching them, and in what ways she could be spying on them."

Will nodded. "And because I don't want Dumbledore to be able to connect us to this at all-I'm sure he'll probably suspect that one of us warned him, but I don't want anyone to be able to know that we did." He rubbed his forehead tiredly. "And I don't even know if this will cause time paradoxes. What if in trying to prevent the events at the end of this year from happening, we're setting in motion another timeline that will create the same end results? I mean, we already know we're creating another timeline just by coming back to this time-because in the original timeline, we never traveled back to this time."

Shay nodded. "So we have a whole new timeline and future that we're working with."

"Yes, but what if we do something that makes this timeline just as horrible as the last one?"

"We can't know for sure," Shay replied. A sardonic expression crossed his face. "If Jamie was here, she would say that we have to hope."

The corner of Will's mouth turned up. "And what would you say?"

"That hope is for people who can afford it. And we can't afford it. We can only do what we can to change what we know."

"Harry!"

Harry was stopped by the sound of Ernie Macmillan's voice. He turned to see the blond Hufflepuff pushing through a crowd of Second Years. "Hi, Ernie."

"Hiya! Had a good summer?" Without waiting for an answer, Ernie lowered his voice and said, "So...I've talked with some of the group, and we're wondering...are we going to be having D.A. meetings this year?"

This was something that Harry had thought about. "I'm not sure. We might, but I think I'd like to see how our Defense Against the Dark Arts classes go first." I'd also like to get settled in a bit, and get Quidditch underway, he thought silently.

"Right, then," Ernie said. "But if you start up again...well, we're all with you, Harry. We've heard some of what...er...happened at the end of last year."

Harry wondered exactly what Ernie and others had heard about last year, but he didn't ask. "I'll let you know one way or another soon," he promised. Once Ernie was gone, Harry continued out to the Quidditch pitch, where he had asked the remaining members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team to meet for the tryouts.

As he crossed the courtyard, he passed Cho Chang. She met his eyes for a moment, then looked away and continued on into the school. Harry shook his head, but kept walking. He didn't feel anything for Cho anymore. Last year he had come to realize that she really wasn't the person he thought she was. Then again, he had come to realize a lot last year-and not all of the realizations had been things he wanted to learn.

At the Quidditch Pitch, Katie Bell, Andrew Kirke, and Ron Weasley all stood waiting for him, their brooms in hand. Katie was in her seventh and final year, and Andrew was in his fifth year. A group of hopeful Gryffindors waited on the sidelines, holding broomsticks. He noticed Ginny among them, sitting cross-legged on the ground with her Cleansweep Seven across her lap. On top of her broomstick was a textbook and a notebook, and she was chewing on the end of a quill. Harry winced in sympathy, remembering how much homework had been dumped on him during his Fifth Year, due to O.W.L.s.

He had done well on his O.W.L.s, better than he had expected-and he had received enough in the right areas to pursue his career of choice, becoming an Auror. Due to this choice of his career, his classes this year were concentrated on that. He had extra classes in Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, and Transfiguration. He had dropped Divination to make room for the more relevant subjects.

"All right, then," Harry told Katie, Ron, and Andrew. "Let's get started."

The tryouts went better than Harry had hoped, and at the end of them, he sat down with his three fellow team members to talk things over.

"Did you see the way Daniel Everard knocked that Bludger right into Rachel Bledstein's nose?" Ron asked. "It was brilliant!"

"I'm sure Rachel thought it was wonderful," Katie said with a wry grin. "I, for one, thought that for a Second Year, Daniel Everard did extraordinarily well."

Harry turned to Andrew, thinking it was only fair that he get the opinion of the other Beater. "Andrew? What did you think?"

"Honestly, out of all of them, I thought Daniel had the most potential," Andrew replied.

Ron nodded in agreement. "What about the Chasers?"

"I think Ginny should be one of them," Katie said immediately. "She was a good Seeker last year-not as good as you, Harry, but she knew what she was doing. If this session was an indication, she's an even better Chaser than she was a Seeker."

"Agreed," Harry said.

A relieved expression crossed Ron's face, and he nodded agreement again.

"As for the second Chaser that we need," Katie continued, "well, quite frankly...I wasn't overly impressed with any of them."

"They stunk," Ron said bluntly.

"Well, we have to pick one of them," Andrew said.

Harry tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Not necessarily."

"What are you thinking?" Ron frowned at him.

"Well, Madam Hooch will be giving the First Years their third flying lesson tomorrow. I checked the schedule," Harry began.

"Harry, you know First Years aren't allowed to fly," Katie said.

"They made an exception for me," Harry replied. "Anyway, I have an idea. I'll let you know tomorrow how it goes. If it doesn't work, we'll pick the person who stunk the least. For now, though, I'll let Daniel and Ginny know they're on the team."

On Friday morning, Gryffindor had Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins. Instead of heading down to Hagrid's cabin, Harry broke off from Ron and Hermione, telling them he'd be at class shortly. He then grabbed a Quaffle and headed to the Quidditch Pitch, where Madam Hooch stood between two lines of First Year students. Broomsticks laid on the ground in front of each child.

Madam Hooch saw him coming. "Well, Harry, what brings you out here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?"

The First Years whispered amongst themselves, and Harry heard snatches of their conversation. "Harry Potter..."

"...heard he took on You-Know-Who four times."

"...no one believed him..."

"...about a thousand dementors..."

Madam Hooch blew her whistle, and the class fell silent. Harry stopped in front of her and handed her a note. She read it, raised her eyebrows, and glanced at the Quaffle tucked under Harry's arm. "Well, it's an interesting request...I suppose you want to see how they handle the Quaffle?"

"Only if you think they can, Madam Hooch," Harry said. He had gone to Professor McGonagall the previous evening and asked her if he could take the first part of Care of Magical Creatures off so he could see if any of the First Year students had any Quidditch talent. "You want me to let you off a class so you can see about finding a First Year for the Quidditch Team?" Professor McGonagall had asked, eyebrows raised.

"Half a class, Professor, and if there's a chance we can find someone to help us win the Quidditch Cup...and you know that I won't fall behind on Care of Magical Creatures," Harry told her.

He fully expected her to say no. This was Professor McGonagall, after all. To his surprise, she looked at him for a long moment and finally nodded. She scribbled out two quick notes, one for Hagrid and one for Madam Hooch.

"Well, all right," Madam Hooch finally nodded. "We were going to work on maneuvering broomsticks today, so your timing is perfect. I don't think there will be a problem adding a Quaffle to the mix. There are quite a few talented flyers in this batch. Have a seat, Harry."

Harry walked over to the edge of the Quidditch Pitch and watched as Madam Hooch explained to the class that she wanted them to break into groups of four. Harry kept his eyes on the Gryffindor students-they were the ones that had a red and gold lion head on the upper sleeve of their robes.

"All right, class. Now, one group at a time-I want you to push your broomsticks up into the air. Do you see those hoops?" Madam Hooch pointed at the three golden hoops at this end of the field. "I'm going to give you this Quaffle-" she held up the red ball "-and I want you to pass it back and forth to each other, passing the Quaffle through one of those hoops. When each person has had a turn throwing the Quaffle through the hoops, move to the back of the group. I am going to be in the air with you, but I am also going to be guarding the hoops. The objective is to get the Quaffle past me."

One of the First Years raised his hand, and Madam Hooch nodded. "Yes, Timothy?"

"Why do you call that a Quaffle?"

Harry hid a smile. The child had to be a Muggle.

"It's part of a wizarding game called Quidditch," Madam Hooch said briskly. "Which we will be talking about next week. Now then, if you would start?" She motioned at a group of four Gryffindor students, handing one of them the Quaffle. "Ready? Begin!"

Harry watched intently as the students threw the Quaffle to each other and took turns aiming to throw it through the hoops. He could tell that some of them had only just started riding broomsticks, and some of them flew as if they had been doing it their whole lives. Yet even those students who flew well had a hard time trying to get the Quaffle past Madam Hooch.

Harry wasn't sure he really expected to find a First Year who could be a Chaser, but he wanted to explore all of his options anyway. He wanted this Quidditch team to be a great one, and he would do whatever he had to so that could be a reality. As he watched the First Years, he found himself pleasantly surprised. There was one particular Gryffindor First Year who managed-twice-to come closer to getting the Quaffle past Madam Hooch than any other student. The child was a natural at flying, too, zipping around the others in the air.

When the class was over, Harry approached Madam Hooch. "What's her name?" he asked, motioning at the girl he had been watching. She had long dark hair, and slanted dark eyes. She was now scooping up her pack and trotting off with several of her classmates.

"That's Sari Xiu. And yes, she's very good. Her mother is a professional Quidditch player for Scotland. Her father is a Muggle from Thailand." Madam Hooch began to collect the broomsticks. Harry hurried to help her, and when his arms were full, walked with her toward the broom shed. "If you get permission to have her on your team, I'm sure you'll find her a wonderful addition."

Harry nodded. "Thank you, Madam Hooch. I have to get going now-I need to be at class." His mind full of the First Year training, he sprinted toward Hagrid's cabin. He found the Gryffindor and Slytherin Sixth Years on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

"Well, well, look who's decided to show up," Draco Malfoy drawled, catching sight of Harry.

Harry pointedly ignored him. He looked around for Hagrid-who shouldn't have been hard to find, considering his size-but didn't see him. "Where's Hagrid?" he asked Ron and Hermione, who had sidling up to him.

"He's not here, Harry," Hermione whispered. "He-" She was cut off when a voice from the front of the students said, "Hey, there, Harry!"

Harry's head snapped toward the familiar voice. "Charlie?" Sure enough, Ron's second oldest brother, Charlie Weasley, stood at the front of the class. Harry hadn't seen him over the heads of the students.

"Charlie said Hagrid had business to take care of for Dumbledore," Hermione murmured quickly. "And so Charlie's here as a substitute teacher. Apparently he was already on his way here to help Hagrid with the class this year."

"He's going to teach us about dragons," Ron added.

Harry blinked. "Dragons are illegal to have," he whispered.

"Well, we're still learning about them," Ron replied.

By that time, Charlie had reached Harry. "Hey, mate! Good to see you...though you are late."

Feeling a bit dazed, Harry said. "Yeah...er...sorry, I have a note." He passed Professor McGonagall's second note to Charlie, who scanned it quickly.

"Right then. Well, it's good to see you. You haven't missed much. Today we're just going over the properties of dragons." Raising his voice, Charlie turned to the whole class. "Now, then, as I was saying...dragons are very difficult to handle, and very dangerous if you don't know how to do it properly. Most people think of them as ferocious beasts, which they are, when disturbed. They're very picky about who they trust."

"Trust?" Draco muttered under his breath. "Dragons trust? Yeah, trust you to walk right into a trap so they can eat you."

Charlie turned his sharp blue eyes on Draco. "If you're unlearned enough to walk into one of their traps," he said mildly. "Or stupid enough. It's your choice whether you want to learn this, or whether you want to remain ignorant so you can be one of the stupid ones."

Ron bit back a grin.

Draco glared at Charlie as he turned and walked to the front of the class, where a bag sat. "Now, then, if you-Miss Patil?-could please take this bag and pass it along, I want all of you to take a pamphlet. They will tell you the magical properties of dragons, as well as give you other information about them. There are also accounts of dragon-trainers such as myself in there. I want you to study the material, and to know it by next Friday at our second class."

After classes were over on Friday, Harry tracked down Professor McGonagall. He explained about Sari Xiu, and asked for her permission to have her on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Professor McGonagall studied him for a moment, and then said, "I think we could work it out, but we'll need to talk with Sari first. Why don't you stay here, and I'll go find her."

Harry waited in her office, and about ten minutes later, Professor McGonagall entered, Sari trailing behind her. She looked tiny to Harry, even smaller than he thought First Years usually were. She raised her eyebrows at Professor McGonagall when she saw Harry sitting in the chair, but Professor McGonagall said, "Please have a seat, Ms. Xiu."

Sari obediently sat, glancing at Harry, but looking back at Professor McGonagall for an explanation.

"Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall nodded at him.

"Er...right." Harry cleared his throat. Sari looked at him, and he bent down to his book bag to dig out a piece of parchment listing his current Quidditch players and positions. "Well, what I'd like to talk to you about is the Gryffindor Quidditch team," he began. He glanced up to see Sari frowning at him, a confused look on her face. "And, um..."

"Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall was watching him strangely. Sari again shot him a quick glance. Seeing Harry's bemused look, Professor McGonagall said, "Sari, would you step outside for a moment?"

Sari, looking confused, nodded and exited the office. Turning back to Harry, Professor McGonagall said, "Apparently you don't know, Mr. Potter. Ms. Xiu is deaf. You have to make sure she is looking at you before you talk, as she has to read your lips."

It was the last thing Harry had expected. He blinked twice. "Oh." His first thought was, how can we have a deaf Quidditch player?

"Let me assure you that her lack of hearing in no way means that she is incapable," Professor McGonagall said, looking at Harry sternly over her spectacles. "I haven't had much of a chance to get to see how she works and acts, but from the small amount that I have seen, she works hard and doesn't let her lack of hearing get in her way. She already has friends among the First Years."

"But, Professor-won't it hinder her Quidditch playing?" Even as he spoke, Harry realized that with some careful planning-like making sure that when he gave Quidditch talks to his team, he faced Sari-she wouldn't miss anything. And as far as when they were playing...

"If she is a good flier, as you told me she was, then I am sure you can work with her in playing Quidditch," Professor McGonagall said tartly. "If you are willing to give her the chance."

Friday afternoon, Harry gathered his new Quidditch team to have a little talk with them. He brought Sari with him, and when he arrived at the meeting, the rest of the team was already there. "All right, everyone. I want you to meet our final Chaser. This is Sari Xiu."

"You're a First Year," Ginny grinned.

Sari offered a smile in return. "Yes, I am." Her voice was slightly garbled, but her words were clear. She also, as Harry had noticed, tended to sign with her hands as she spoke. It had given him several ideas of ways of communicating when they were playing Quidditch-and not only communicating with her, but with the rest of the team. There might be an advantage in using signs to convey things, instead of trying to shout them. He had also noticed that Sari was very observant and cheerful. She had positively glowed when he asked her to be part of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and had told Harry enthusiastically, "This is wizard! My mum will be thrilled! I promise I won't let you down!"

Even just seeing the zeal in Sari made Harry smile. He could only hope that his decision to take her on wouldn't prove futile.

Daniel Everard, the new Second Year Beater, said, "Hey, I know you! You're deaf!"

Sari's smile widened. "Yes, well, that too," she said. The other Gryffindor players exchanged surprised glances.

Harry squeezed Sari's shoulder so that she would look up at him. "Why don't you have a seat? We're going to discuss some tactics, and then we're going to go out on the pitch and see how everyone works together." Sari nodded and went to sit at a vantage point where she could see everyone. "Now, then. Obviously, we're a new team, and while some of us have worked together, we're going to have to find our own way of doing things. There will be new players on all of the other teams, so we're going to have to work together as we find out their new tactics. I'd like to get started with this..."

Chapter Eight ~ Confrontations

On Friday evening, Shay spent two hours with Will, Hermione, and Professor McGonagall in the Transfiguration classroom. Hermione had arrived with a bag packed full of books and notes. It was decided that she would meet with them on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoons for tutoring.

When he finally escaped from the Transfiguration classroom, Shay headed for the kitchens. He had astronomy at midnight tonight with all of the other Sixth Years in the school, and he still had to bring Jamie and Molly food. Will had given him a small bag during their Care of Magical Creatures class that morning, and Shay, not trusting to leave anything important in his dormitory, had lugged it around all day in his book bag.

The kitchens were right where Will said they would be, and the house-elves practically threw themselves at his feet to get him what he wanted. Once he had a bag of food, he stepped back out into the hall and opened the bag Will had given him. He pulled out the invisibility cloak and Marauder's Map. He put on the cloak and activated the Map.

It wasn't hard to get through the passage to the Shrieking Shack. Will had warned him of Jamie's alarm-spell, so he took off the cloak at the end of the passage. As he pushed the plank of wood open, he called, "Hey! Jamie!"

There was a crack, and Jamie Apparated in front of him, her wand held at ready. "Oh, good. More food." She tucked her wand back into her pocket and took the bag of food from him, then turned and began to walk out of the room.

Shay rolled his eyes and followed. "'How are you doing, Shay? How has school been? I heard you're in Slytherin; have you killed Draco Malfoy yet, Shay?'" he said in a mock girl's voice.

Jamie glanced over her shoulder at him. "I imagine you haven't killed him, or I'm sure you wouldn't be here," she said mildly. "You'd be in Azkaban."

Shay snorted. "Yeah, but I wouldn't be there for long. Azkaban isn't a safe place to keep convicts, remember? The dementors have revolted."

Jamie entered a bedroom on the first floor. Molly was asleep on a mattress. Jamie quietly set the bag of food on the floor, then motioned Shay to follow her out of the room. "So how has school been?" she finally asked, turning in the hallway to face Shay.

Shay shrugged. "Different." He shook his head. "And you should see Snape..." He proceeded to tell her about the Potions class the day before.

Jamie looked at him sharply. "What about your father?"

"What about him?" Shay asked uncomfortably.

"Have you had any interaction with him, besides watching him being tormented by Snape?"

"Not much. He was in the same compartment on the train on our way to Hogwarts, but I haven't really talked to him, if that's what you mean."

"Why not?" Jamie asked.

Shay's eyebrows rose. "What do you mean, why not? Because he's not in my House, for one thing. I haven't seen him all that much."

Jamie's eyes narrowed. "That's not why."

Shay was growing more uneasy with the subject, and especially with the way Jamie was looking at him. She had the uncanny ability to always look straight through something to the very heart of it, and this was not something he wanted her digging into. "Look-"

Jamie cut him off. "You might be in Slytherin and he in Gryffindor, Shay, but he's your father. If I was there, I'd be doing everything I could to get to know my parents. This might be the only chance you'll ever have to get to know him a little bit. Why are you scared of it?"

And there it was. She had hit the nail on the head. "I'm not scared!" he snarled.

Jamie snorted. She might be perceptive about things, but subtlety was not one of her strong points, and sometimes she didn't know when she went too far. "You might be able to pull that on someone else, but I've known you my whole life, Seamus Longbottom. You are scared. So don't pull that 'I'm not scared of anything' load of nonsense on me. You're scared, and you're angry at your father. You always have been."

"Shut up!"

"You feel betrayed, and you feel like he betrayed your moth-"

It was an instinctive reaction, and one that Shay didn't realize he was having until after it was done. He whipped his wand out of his robes and pointed it at Jamie. "Silencio!"

He and Jamie both froze. A look of utter shock was on Jamie's face. Shay's anger drained away as he realized just what he had done. He quickly performed the counterspell. "Jamie, I didn't-"

Jamie held up her hand. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and shook her head. She turned her back on him and began to walk toward the bedroom. "I think you should leave now," she told him. He wasn't sure what emotion he heard in her voice, but it made him feel even worse.

"Jamie-"

"Leave, Shay."

Annoyance crept back into him. He wasn't the one who had started this. If she had just left well enough alone, none of this would have happened. "Fine," he snapped. He turned and stormed back to the passage entrance. If he had bothered to stop and look back, he would have seen Jamie lean against the wall and burst into tears. But without a backwards glance, he yanked on the invisibility cloak and left.

Shay was in no mood to go to his dormitory and risk running into Draco or his lackeys. He wasn't sure how he ended up in the library, but it seemed as good a place as any to be somewhere quiet, where he wouldn't be bothered. He sat at a table in the corner of the library and buried his head in his arms. The trip across Hogwarts grounds and through the castle had cooled his blood, and while he was still irritated, he was no longer angry. He was struggling against feeling remorseful-it wasn't an emotion he was accustomed to feeling, and he didn't like it at all.

He was afforded a distraction when a girl's voice said, "Hi, there. You're one of the new transfer students, aren't you?"

Shay looked up to see a pretty blond girl smiling at him. He blinked, not quite sure why she was smiling at him the way she was. He didn't feel like talking, but the girl sat down on a chair across from him. "I'm Rowan," she said, holding out her hand.

"Shay," Shay said shortly, quickly shaking her hand.

"You're in Slytherin, right?"

"Yes." What does she want?

"I'm a Ravenclaw. You're in my Herbology class."

"Oh." And he cared because...?

Rowan cocked her head. "You're not very talkative, are you?" She leaned forward on the table, twisting a strand of hair around her finger.

It was then that Shay finally realized. She's flirting with me! All he could do was blink at her again. He didn't have much experience with girls his age-actually, the only girl his age he really knew was Jamie.

Which made him think, yet again, of how he had just cursed her, and it was the last thing he wanted to think about.

Well, Shay, you might not know much about girls...but there's no time like the present for learning, is there? he told himself. He smiled at Rowan. "I can be talkative when I want to be." He stood to his feet. "Do you know anything interesting to do in the castle while we wait for Astronomy class?"

Rowan grinned brilliantly. "Why, yes. I can think of a few things."

At midnight, all of the Sixth Years-Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffindor-gathered on top of the Astronomy tower. It was the first time the four Houses had ever had a class together. "I wonder if Dumbledore decided that we should have a class together because he's trying to get us to work with each other," Hermione mused to Harry and Ron. They were holding a whispered conversation and didn't seem to be paying attention. "Harry? Ron?"

Both of them looked over at her with mildly surprised expressions on their faces, as if they had just realized she was there and talking to them. "Sorry, Hermione. Were you saying something?" Harry asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. No doubt they were talking about Quidditch again. It seemed like it was all they had been talking about since the tryouts. She shook her head, and they went back to whispering. "No, of course I wasn't talking," she said conversationally to the night air. "Why would I be talking? Just because sometimes it's nice to have a conversation with my two best friends..." She stared pointedly at Ron and Harry. It took a moment before first Harry, then Ron, looked at her again.

"Did you say something, Hermione?" Ron wondered.

Hermione put her head in her hands and groaned. "Boys," she muttered.

Harry and Ron exchanged bemused glances, shrugged, and went back to their conversation. Hermione sighed and gave up on talking to them. Instead she looked around at the Sixth Years trickling onto the top of the tower. She almost missed Will Warren standing alone in the shadows. Poor guy, she thought. She felt sorry for him. She also felt some sort of responsibility toward making sure he fit in. She was a prefect; she was supposed to watch out for the other students. Will was very quiet and kept to himself-at meals, at classes, and anywhere else Hermione saw him. She couldn't imagine suddenly being thrown into a new school. Here, the students had had six years to get to live with each other and know each other. Will didn't have that advantage.

During the Transfiguration lesson that she had helped with that evening, it had been evident that Will and Shay were close friends, despite the fact that one was a Gryffindor and one a Slytherin. The rest of us could probably stand to learn something from them, she mused ruefully. Of course, even during the lesson, Will had been quiet and watchful. It had been obvious that he was more interested in learning than Shay was, though-the Slytherin was plainly disinterested in advancing his Transfiguration, but Hermione had done her best to help Professor McGonagall.

And speaking of Shay... He emerged onto the Astronomy tower with a blond Ravenclaw that Hermione thought was named Rowan. She didn't know much about the girl, but recognized her as being one of the giggly boy-chasers in the school. Hermione found girls like that silly and superficial. Looks like she has her hooks dug into Shay, she thought disgustedly.

Hermione was just about to go tell Will he was welcome to join them when Neville Longbottom did it instead. The two boys talked for a moment, and then Will nodded. Neville dragged his telescope over by Will's. Hermione smiled and turned back to Harry and Ron. If anyone could help Will not feel like an outsider, it was Neville.

The weekend passed quickly for Will. He wasn't going to bring more food to Jamie and Molly until Tuesday evening; he and Shay had decided when they first arrived at Hogwarts that Tuesdays and Fridays would be the food delivery days. He hoped Jamie and Molly were doing all right. He had spoken with Shay on Saturday morning and asked how they were. An odd, closed look came to Shay's face at the mention of Jamie, but he said, "They were fine, Will. Molly was sleeping."

Will had the feeling there was something Shay wasn't saying, but he didn't ask him about it. If Shay thought it was important he know, he would tell him.

Monday and Tuesday passed in a blur of classes, homework, and tutoring from Hermione. Tuesday evening, he brought another bundle of food through the tunnel under the Whomping Willow. He stayed for a while and talked with Jamie, while Molly sat in his lap. Jamie seemed a bit distracted, but she hid it well. He wouldn't have ever noticed if he didn't know her as well as he did. When he finally stood up to go, he said, "Shay will be back on Friday."

Jamie was quiet for a moment, then nodded shortly. "Great."

Will raised his eyebrows. "You don't sound very enthusiastic." He cocked his head to the side. "Did you two have another fight?" It would explain Shay's expression when Will had asked about Jamie the other day, and Jamie's distraction now.

"I don't want to talk about it, Will," Jamie said abruptly.

Will sighed to himself. They'll work it out. They always do. "All right. Well, I'll see you two next Tuesday."

The rest of the week passed just as quickly as the beginning of it. He didn't get to talk to Shay very much, but it didn't matter; the Gourl still had not been returned to Ron-Will wondered what was taking Professor McGonagall so long-and all they could do was bide their time. It was odd-while Will felt his life was speeding along because of how busy he was, it seemed that their quest to change the future was at a temporary halt.

He did notice that lately when he saw Shay, half the time there was a blond girl hanging around him. It didn't surprise him that girls were taking an interest in Shay-he even heard different whispered conversations about him in the classes the Gryffindor and Slytherins shared. One particular one between Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown had been something along the lines of "oooh, he's so gorgeous! Too bad he's a Slytherin..."

He thought about approaching Shay about it, telling him it was dangerous to have romantic involvement-after all, what if one of them got romantically entangled with someone that, in the future, had married someone else? They were supposed to be guarding themselves and not letting people know about the future...

Then it struck him, deeply, that it didn't matter. As he had pointed out to Shay, this was a new timeline. If they succeeded in their plans this year, the future would be completely changed anyway. They had come back to this time knowing that they were going to be stuck here for the rest of their lives. How were they supposed to live out the entirety of their lives without getting involved with anyone?

But what if one of us ended up marrying someone who was supposed to marry someone else and give birth to a child who was supposed to be a great Auror or create a counter for the Killing Curse, or...

Will stopped his train of thoughts and rubbed his head. Time paradoxes were so confusing. He couldn't even guarantee that he would be born in this new timeline. If they changed things this year, who knew what would happen? He might be born, as might Jamie...almost certainly, Shay wouldn't be born.

Are we ever going to be able to live normal lives?

As it turned out, though, he needn't have worried about Shay's relationship with the blond girl. On Friday afternoon, when classes were finished, Shay approached Will and said, "I don't know what to do, mate."

Will raised his eyebrows. "About what?"

"Rowan!"

"The blond girl who's been hanging around you?" Will wondered.

"Yes! She's driving me crazy! She won't leave me alone, and she keeps popping up everywhere! I swear, one of these days she's going to suddenly appear while I'm in the loo!"

Will held back a laugh. "What do you want me to do? I've never been in a situation like that."

"Neither have I!" Shay's eyes focused behind Will. "Oh, damn. Here she comes again. Tell her I wasn't feeling well and went back to my dormitory. She's a Ravenclaw, so I know I won't see her there!" Without another word, Shay spun around and took off, just as Rowan stopped beside Will.

"Where'd he go?" she asked, sounding disappointed.

"He...er...wasn't feeling well. He went back to his dormitory," Will lied.

"Oh." Rowan sighed and walked away.

Will was very glad he wasn't in Shay's position. I'm sure girls are great, but I prefer not to deal with the complications of any kind of relationship until this mess we came back to fix is sorted out, he thought.

Shay might have been able to escape from Rowan in his dormitory, but it certainly wasn't a refuge-not when Draco Malfoy was seated on his four-poster bed, scribbling out a letter. He looked up when Shay came in. He nodded at Shay, then continued writing his letter.

Good, don't talk to me, Shay thought, flinging himself on his bed. He had suffered a very, very long week. At first he had welcomed the distraction of Rowan. It was kind of nice not to think about anything for a change, and to have girls paying attention to him. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. He was sure he wouldn't have found Rowan annoying if it hadn't been for Jamie. All week, the thought of cursing her, and the fight they had had, kept popping into his head. It made everything he did during the week unpleasant. He fought it-he didn't want to admit he had been wrong, and tried to convince himself that he needn't feel guilty.

The truth was, cursing her had been the absolute worst offense possible. He, Will, and Jamie had spent their entire lives using their wands to defend each other, to fight evil. To purposely use his wand against Jamie was the most hurtful thing he could have done.

No matter how hardened his conscious had become about some things, Jamie wasn't one of them. He dreaded seeing her later that evening. He knew that by all rights, he should have gone back to the Shrieking Shack earlier in the week and apologized, but he hadn't. This whole bloody thing reeks, he thought crossly.

He was even more irritated when Draco broke his silence and spoke to him. He had done the best he could to find a balance in befriending and avoiding Draco Malfoy. He tried to get to know him a little bit, he really did. He told himself that the future hadn't happened yet, and maybe he could do something to help Draco change for the better. No matter what he told himself, though, he couldn't quell the anger and hatred that choked him every time he looked at Malfoy's pale face.

Still, even without becoming Draco's best friend, he had learned a lot from listening to the Slytherins, and especially listening to Draco's prattling to Crabbe and Goyle as they went to sleep at night.

"Did you see this article in the Daily Prophet?" Draco suddenly asked.

Shay didn't even look at him. "What article?"

"Check it out." Draco tossed the newspaper onto Shay's bed.

Shay considered setting the paper on fire, but decided it would probably be wiser not to. He picked it up and looked down at the short article on the third page of the DailyProphet.

New Muggle Protection Act Formed

Arthur Weasley, head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts office at

the Ministry of Magic, met with Minister of Magic

Cornelius Fudge yesterday afternoon. With the threat of

You-Know-Who's return, greater precautions have been

taken in the defense of the wizarding world. What about

the Muggles, though?

After a great deal of deliberation, it was decided that a

new Muggle Protection Act would be formed. The Minister

has set up a new branch of Aurors to deal specifically with

Muggle protection. This branch of Aurors, known as the M.P.A.

(Muggle Protection Aurors) are working on setting up safe

houses, so that in the event of an emergency, they can quickly

move Muggles into protected areas.

"Can you believe it?" Draco asked. "The Ministry is actually being idiotic enough to pull Aurors off of protecting wizards to protect Muggles."

Shay gritted his teeth. Don't say anything stupid, don't say anything stupid. "Yeah." That was safe.

"My father always said Fudge is an old fool. And of course it would be Arthur Weasley that would come up with such a stupid Protection Act. Protection? The Muggles don't need protection-the Dark Lord would be doing the world a favor if he killed them all."

Shay's jaw was locked into place in his effort to keep quiet. Draco was always saying things like this-how horrible Muggles were, how fortunate it was that they were in Slytherin with all the rest of the purebloods.

"I say he can take them all-Muggles and Mudbloods alike. And any pureblood wizard who would stand against the Dark Lord is a fool, and deserve whatever they get," Draco said, with some satisfaction.

At those final words, Shay snapped. His mother had been a pureblood, and she had stood against Voldemort-and she certainly hadn't been a fool. He whipped his wand out of his robes. BANG! Ropes appeared out of thin air and twisted around Malfoy. Shay watched with intense gratification as he crashed to the ground, a surprised look on his face. Shay stepped over to him and looked down at him. "Listen here, you sniveling, self-centered, arrogant little prick," he said, his voice clear and concise. "Just because you are the evil spawn of a snake, it doesn't mean that every Slytherin thinks the way you do. And I, for one, don't. So you keep your filthy mouth off of things you don't understand." His fingers itched to wave his wand and curse Draco more, to really make him regret what he had said, but he didn't. Instead, he turned and headed out of the dormitory.

"You-you-" Draco didn't seem to be able to quite figure out what to say. "You'll regret this!"

Shay stopped at the door and glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, I don't think so." He smirked and shut the door behind him.

When Shay stepped through the entrance to the Shrieking Shack, Jamie again Apparated in front of him. Her jaw tightened when she saw him, and she didn't say anything-she simply held out her hand for the bag of food he carried. He didn't relinquish it. "We need to talk," he said abruptly.

His confrontation with Draco had given him a lot to think about. He had realized, very strongly, who his real enemies were. Treating Jamie, one of his two best friends-whether they always got along or not-as an enemy was just wrong, and he couldn't let his pride get in the way of making their friendship right.

Jamie's hand dropped to her side. "About what?" she asked tightly.

There was no easy way to say it, but just to come out with it. "I'm...sorry." Strangely enough, now that the words were out, a heavy burden seemed to have lifted from Shay's shoulders. "I'm sorry I used my wand against you, Jamie. I honestly didn't mean to."

Jamie swallowed, and something that Shay thought looked suspiciously like tears shone in her eyes. "It's all right. And I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have pushed about your father." She looked down at the ground and let out a deep breath, and when she looked back up at Shay, her eyes were clear. "So...um...want to come in and tell me about your week?"

Shay offered her a rare grin. "I'd love to. And say, there's some extra chocolate pie in there...it'll go bad if it doesn't get eaten tonight..."

"Shay! You already ate dinner!"

"Yeah, but it was a long time ago..."

"Honestly! Don't you ever think about anything except your stomach?"

Chapter Nine ~ Society of Slytherins

Shay didn't sleep in his dormitory on Friday evening. He had no desire whatsoever to see Draco Malfoy. He fell asleep in one of the chairs in the Slytherin common room. He didn't get to avoid seeing Draco in the morning, however. He was up earlier than Shay had expected, especially for a Saturday. Crabbe and Goyle were both trailing behind him, and all three of them were dressed in Quidditch robes.

Shay still had no regrets over binding him the previous evening; in fact, he felt a great sense of freedom. He had never been good at putting up a pretense of anything, and his actions last night had ended whatever thoughts Draco had about friendship. Shay felt so much better now that he didn't have to pretend to accept that friendship.

Well, I tried to get to know my enemy, and found there wasn't much worth knowing, Shay shrugged to himself.

It seemed a common thread among the Slytherins. They would join together as a House to defend each other from the other Houses. However, over the week and a half that Shay had been at Hogwarts, he had noticed that when the Slytherins were alone in the common room, they would often divide into groups. There was quite a bit of tension between some of the different groups, and occasionally arguments broke out among them-usually when it came to discussing Voldemort, the Death Eaters, or something relating to the battle between the wizarding world and Voldemort. Shay doubted that the other Houses had similar arguments.

Draco stopped directly in front of Shay, fingering his wand.

"If you're planning on trying to curse me, do it and get it over with," Shay said. "I'm hungry and want to go to breakfast."

"You made a very bad decision last night, Long," Draco told him, his voice almost a whisper. "And no matter how much you watch yourself, it's not going to be enough. I willmake you pay for what you did." He deliberately tucked his wand deep into the pocket on his robe. "Not now, though. It will come when you least expect it."

"How typical of your honor," Shay said. "Get your opponent when his back is turned."

A nasty, cynical smile crossed Draco's face. He jerked his head at Crabbe and Goyle, motioning them to follow him. "See you later, Long."

"I see you got on Malfoy's good side," a wry voice said.

It was only then that Shay noticed a young man was standing on the threshold between the common room and the corridor to the dormitories. "You're Blaise, right? Blaise Zabini?" If it was, then he was one of those Slytherins that later became an Auror.

The boy nodded. "And you're Shay Long."

"You're a Sixth Year, right? So why aren't you in the Sixth Year boys' dormitory?" Shay asked.

"Well...let's just say that Malfoy and I had some differences of opinion that became so...heated that Professor Snape and Professor Dumbledore decided to split us up. For safety's sake, you understand-it was that bad. I was moved into the Fifth Year room. There are only two Fifth Year boys, so it's not very crowded. Well, it was the Third Year dormitory when I moved there-I was in my Fourth Year."

"I might be joining you before too long," Shay said wryly.

Blaise chuckled. "I wouldn't doubt it, if you continue like you just were. They might just have to start a whole new dormitory for us troublemakers."

Shay had to smile. "Do you happen to know any other of these...er...troublemakers?"

"In Slytherin? Sure do. And actually, we've been talking about starting a group-I think you might find it interesting. We're going to meet in the library at noon today, if you want to come along."

Shay nodded. "I just might do that."

Harry pushed the Gryffindor Quidditch team into practicing several times a week. The first week of Quidditch practices went better than he had hoped. He had had Andrew and Daniel fly into the air by themselves with the Bludger, and told them to aim for the hoops on one end of the Quidditch pitch. It was the easiest way to let them practice for a while and limit the possibility of injuries to the other players. They needed improvement, but Harry was confident if he kept at them, they would be ready for the first Quidditch match in November.

He also worked with Sari on the side, learning sign language and picking out signs he thought would work best to communicate with her and the team while they were up in the air. Then came the task of seeing how well it worked to use sign language while flying on brooms, chasing Quaffle, and dodging Bludgers. To his delight, it worked even better than he had hoped, and much better than shouting at his fellow teammates. All he had to do was fly by and flash a quick sign at them to communicate what he wanted, and best yet, the other teams would have no clue what he was saying.

All in all, he was very pleased with his Quidditch team. Ron had improved greatly as a Keeper, and Harry suspected it had something to do with the confidence he had gained when he helped win the Quidditch Cup last year.

Even better, he saw no sign of the Slytherin Quidditch team during the first week. He wondered how long it would be before they showed up and started something-it usually never took very long.

His question was answered on Saturday, a week after setting up the Quidditch team. The seven Quidditch players were up in the air, running through a couple of practice strategies. Hermione had come out to the Quidditch pitch to watch. She was sitting on the stands, eating a piece of toast and talking with a First Year boy who had arrived at the pitch with Sari. Harry also couldn't fail to notice Fifth Year Colin Creevey sitting at the top of the stands, his camera flashing as he took pictures of the practice session.

Harry noticed a flash of green out of the corner of his eye, and twisted on his broom to see the Slytherin Quidditch team walking toward the pitch, brooms in hand. "Oh, great," he muttered. He dropped to the ground, signaling to his team that they should do the same.

He noticed something else as the Slytherin team approached, and he thought, oh, you have to be kidding me... When they were within earshot, he said, "Don't tell me you've been made team captain, Malfoy. I suppose you had to buy your way into that like you do with everything else?"

Hermione and the First Year she had been talking to stood up from the stands and approached.

"I think they did better choosing captains for the Slytherins than the Gryffindors," Malfoy said snidely, eyeing Harry up and down. He peered at the team standing behind Harry. "I see your team is as pathetic as ever. Two Weasleys this year," Draco snorted.

Harry ran a skeptical eye over the Slytherin team. "And I see your team is as big and stupid as ever," he retorted.

Draco's eyes landed on a point somewhere over Harry's shoulder, and he chuckled. "Oh, this is rich. Don't tell me she's on your team. A First Year, from the look of her. She'll be destroyed by a Bludger the first game. I don't know what you were thinking."

The Gryffindor team immediately began yelling at Draco, and the Slytherin team cracked their knuckles and loomed forward, sneering. Harry glanced over his shoulder at Sari, who was standing beside the First Year boy that had been with Hermione. The boy was signing something quickly. Sari's eyes flashed, and she stomped forward to stand beside Harry. Even Harry had to admit she didn't look very intimidating; the top of her head reached no higher than his chest. Still, her words were angry. "I could take down either of your Beaters, any day."

Draco heard the way her words were slightly distorted, and he laughed. "Potter, is she deaf? A deaf First Year? I guess you finally really did snap. I knew it would happen sooner or later."

Before Harry could react at all, Sari had jumped forward and punched Draco in the stomach. Harry couldn't imagine that it could have hurt Draco all that much, but he looked surprised. He snatched Sari's wrist in a tight grip and yanked her forward, leaning down until they were eye level. "Do that again and you won't like the consequences," he told her in a low voice.

The entire Gryffindor team, Hermione, and Sari's friend all had their wands out and pointed at Draco. The Slytherins were a bit slower in getting their wands out, but they managed it and pointed them at the Gryffindors.

Harry and Draco locked eyes. "Unhand my Chaser. Now," Harry said in a deathly low voice.

"You going to make me?" Draco sneered. "You-ouch!" He released Sari on reflex when she kicked him hard in the shin.

This time Harry caught Sari's arm before Draco could react. He shoved her behind him. Not daring to take his eyes off of Draco, he said, "Katie, tell her to stay back." He was beginning to see why Sari had been placed in Gryffindor, but he really didn't want to be responsible for her being sent to the hospital wing. He had no doubts that Draco or one of the other Slytherins wouldn't hesitate to retaliate, First Year or not. He was going to have to make sure others kept a close watch on her around the Slytherins.

There is no way I caused this much trouble when I was a First Year, Harry sighed to himself.

They were saved from any countermeasures from the Slytherins when a voice called, "'Morning, all!"

Harry glanced over to see Charlie Weasley coming across the Quidditch pitch. He stopped when he reached the cluster of students. "Is there a problem here?" he asked, his sharp eyes looking from Harry to Draco and back.

"No," Harry and Draco said together. "We're just finishing our practice," Harry said. "I think Malfoy's team is about to start theirs." With a final glare at Draco, Harry spun and headed for the stands, his team following behind him. When he reached them, he sat Sari down and faced her. "While I admire your spirit, you're going to have to tread very softly around the Slytherins now. Malfoy won't forget what you did."

"He deserved it," Sari said staunchly.

"Malfoy deserves whatever he gets," Ginny replied from beside Harry. "That doesn't mean he won't retaliate."

Sari pursed her lips. "I can handle it," she said fiercely.

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes. "All right. I think we're finished for today. You can all go, and I'll see you for practice on Monday evening." He watched as the team began to filter away. Hermione and Ron hung back, waiting for him. Harry stopped the First Year boy as he began to walk away with Sari. Sari stopped, and Harry held up a finger, telling her to wait a moment. Turning to face the boy so Sari couldn't see what he was saying, he said, "You were using sign language with Sari. You're her friend?"

The boy nodded. "Sari and I have been friends our whole lives, and my father and her mother have played on the same Quidditch team for three years now."

"What's your name?"

"Aiden. Aiden Connor."

"Well, listen, Aiden. If you could, I want you to keep an eye on Sari, and get her other friends to watch out for her, too. Can you do that?"

Aiden glanced over at Sari, then frowned at Harry. "You really think the Slytherins will try to hurt her?"

"I wouldn't put it past them," Harry said grimly. "Especially since she pretty much just begged Malfoy to mess with her."

Aiden nodded determinedly. "I'll make sure we look after her."

Harry let Aiden go. He felt a little bit better, knowing that Sari would have friends to keep an eye on her. He went to join Ron and Hermione. "Bloody Malfoy," Ron grumbled. "He's so tough he has to pick on First Years."

"Yes, well, that just goes to prove that some things never change," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Or that they just get worse," Ron replied.

Harry shook his head. "I forgot how much First Years think they're invulnerable."

Ron and Hermione looked at him in disbelief. "First Years think they're invulnerable?" Ron asked incredulously. "Have you taken a look at yourself in the mirror lately, mate?"

A dark shadow passed over Harry's face. "I might have thought I was invulnerable at one point," he said quietly. "But not since Sirius died." His eyes had a sudden, faraway look in them.

Ron and Hermione exchanged apprehensive looks. Hermione's voice was cautious when she said, "Er...do you want to get some breakfast?"

Harry blinked, and his eyes snapped back into focus. "Yeah. Yeah, breakfast sounds good."

Shortly after noon, Shay went to the library, where Blaise Zabini and fifteen or twenty other Slytherins were gathered around several tables that had been pushed together. "Shay! Glad you made it. Have a seat." Blaise waved at an empty seat.

Shay sat between a Third Year girl with short brown hair and a Fourth Year boy with strawberry-blond curls. Once he was in place, Blaise quickly introduced everyone around the tables, though Shay knew he wouldn't remember all of them. "All right, we're here today to discuss what we Slytherins are going to do about the threat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Blaise began.

Shay was happy to hear that Blaise didn't call him 'the Dark Lord,' but not that pleased to hear 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.' He cleared his throat. "Before you start, I just think it might be better to address him as Voldemort."

Several gasps and murmurs ran around the table, but a red-headed Fifth Year-Kari, he thought her name was-nodded. "If we fear the name, it will only make fear of him worse."

"It might take some getting used to," Shay said. "But if we're here to discuss the threat the Voldemort, then it might be a good thing to get used to."

Blaise looked at him appraisingly for a moment, and then glanced at Kari and nodded. "You both have a point. All right, then. We're here to talk about what we're going to do to help in the fight against Voldemort."

Several winces were seen in the faces around Shay. "Now, as we know," Blaise continued, "Many of the other Slytherins will have nothing to do with fighting Voldemort, and there are some that support him-whether quietly or outspokenly."

Nods came from around the tables. "It's getting dangerous for those of us who openly stand against You-Kn...Voldemort," a Seventh Year named Filip said.

Xanthe, a small black Second Year seated directly across from Shay, said, "I had to take Alessandra to the hospital wing yesterday, because a group of V-Voldemort's supporters cursed her when her back was turned. Madam Pomfrey says she'll be in there all week." An angry shadow crossed her face.

"We can't turn our backs anymore," a Third Year whose name Shay didn't remember said. "We're not safe in our own House."

"Which is one of the reasons I've asked all of you to come here," Blaise stated. "Quite frankly, in Slytherin, there are more of Voldemort's supporters, or those that just refuse to do anything, than there are of us. We need to take action. We need to watch out for each other, and in order to do that, we need some sort of organization. Now, we're all in different Years, and so while we're in our dormitories, some of us can keep an eye on each other. When we're not in our dormitories-when we're at meals, in the hallways, or in the common room-we can all look out for each other. However, besides personal protection, I think we need to decide to do something to actively help fight Voldemort."

"But what can we do?" another Fifth Year girl asked.

"We can listen. We can look. We live in the one House that has produced dark wizards and witches. Even now, we have students in there whose parents are Death Eaters. It is our responsibility to learn what information we can from them. I know that several of you have parents who are involved in the Dark Arts, and I greatly admire and respect you for breaking from that mold and standing up for what's right.

"So here's the deal: we need to set up a way to keep an eye on each other and quickly pass information."

An idea blossomed in Shay's mind. It was one which he had gotten from Will's mother-Hermione had helped Harry set up a defense group in their Fifth Year, and Hermione had had a failsafe, in case any of the group decided to betray the rest. He didn't know how to do it, though, and to his knowledge, neither did Will. It was something he wanted to talk to Blaise about privately before he said anything to everyone else.

The meeting continued, and everyone was put in threes, and one of four, so that each person was accountable for keeping an eye on the others in their small group. They were arranged so that there was at least one older student with a younger. "And Alessandra will be with you, once she's out of the hospital wing," Blaise told Xanthe and the other two people in her group. "Then we'll have four groups of three and two groups of four."

With Alessandra, there was a total of twenty of them: two Seventh Years, three Sixth Years, four Fifth Years, three Fourth Years, five Third Years, two Second Years, and one First Year.

"We should have a name for ourselves," the only First Year at the tables piped up. "So no one knows who we are if we have to mention our gathering in front of anyone."

Ideas for names were thrown around, and it was finally decided that they would simply call themselves S.O.S.-Society of Slytherins. "You know, Salazar Slytherin underestimated what we purebloods can do against his noble work," Filip said, sarcasm in his voice at his last two words. "We're in this House for a reason-let's put our heads together and show Voldemort what we're capable of."

The meeting was adjourned. As everyone was leaving, Shay pulled Blaise aside. "I have a suggestion. I know of a way that can insure two things: one, that we can quickly tell everyone when we need to meet, and two, that no one in this group will betray anything to Voldemort's side," Shay explained.

"Oh? How's that?" Blaise asked.

"I don't know how to do it. You could probably get one of the Seventh Years to do it, but I know someone who can do it perfectly, and not make mistakes. The only thing is, she's a Gryffindor..."

"Hermione?"

Hermione looked up from her seat in the corner of the common room to see Neville Longbottom standing in front of her. "Yes?" It was Saturday evening, and she almost had all of her homework for the weekend done.

"Um...there's a Slytherin standing outside the portrait hole. He's asking to speak with you."

Suspicion rose in Hermione. Who in Slytherin could possibly be asking for her? "Who is it?"

"Blaise Zabini."

Hermione frowned. Blaise was in the classes she shared with the Slytherins, but she didn't know much about him. "All right, I'll go see what's going on. Thanks, Neville." She left her homework on the table and went out through the portrait hole. Sure enough, the Slytherin was leaning against the wall. He offered her a small smile when she stepped through the portrait hole.

"I was told you're looking for me," Hermione said.

"I have a favor to ask you," Blaise said bluntly.

Hermione's eyebrows rose. "A favor?" What on earth could a Slytherin want from me? Is this some kind of nasty trick?

"I was told that you can do a Protean Charm."

"Yes..."

"I need to put a Protean Charm on some fake Galleons for me." Blaise proceeded to explain that he was leading a group of Slytherins who were working against Voldemort. "We're getting a lot of resistance from other Slytherins who are fighting on the opposite side. One of the Second Years in our group is in the hospital wing suffering from a nasty curse that someone used on her when her back was turned. I was also told that you can put a jinx on a piece of paper that everyone in our group has signed, so that they can't betray us without being found out."

Hermione narrowed her eyes suspiciously. She did indeed know how to do what Blaise asked. He seemed sincere, but she still wasn't sure what to think. Of course, if she did jinx the paper, it would do exactly as she asked-she could guarantee that there was no way Blaise could use it for spying for Voldemort. "Who told you I could do this?"

"Let's just say I heard it through the grapevine."

"You understand that if I do this for you, you will only be able to use the jinx on the paper to work against Voldemort? It'll only work that way, because that's how I'll set it to work," Hermione said sternly.

"Of course, and that's precisely what I need." He pulled a piece of paper out of his robes and handed it to Hermione. "I've already told everyone in our group that if they signed this paper, they were stuck with us, and we would know if they betrayed us. Everyone signed it-even the girl we have in the hospital wing."

Hermione unfolded the piece of paper and looked down the list of names. She bit her lip, then sighed. "All right. You also understand that if I do this jinx, and you've lied to me, and you're really intending on using this to help Voldemort's cause, the jinx will work against you? I don't think you'll like what happens."

Blaise smiled. "I'm not worried about it, since I haven't lied to you. Regardless to what you Gryffindors believe, there are some Slytherins who want to get rid of Voldemort as much as you do."

Hermione was convinced. If he was lying, this would only serve to hurt him, but she believed he was telling the truth. "Come back here tomorrow at ten in the morning. I'll meet you right here and give you everything you need."

"I will. And thank you."

Chapter Ten ~ The Hogwarts Coalition

"Hermione? Why are you still up? It's two in the morning." Ron yawned and sank down one of the armchairs in front of the fire. Hermione was sitting on the rug in front of the hearth, bent over something that Ron couldn't see through Hermione's dangling hair.

"What are you doing up?" Hermione returned.

"I got up to use the bathroom and heard a noise down here. What are you doing?"

"A Protean Charm," Hermione replied. She leaned back, and Ron saw that there was a basket full of Galleons in front of her. Fake Galleons, he told himself.

"What for? Did Harry decide to start up the D.A. again? He should have told me-"

"No, no," Hermione said hurriedly. "Though I do think if he starts it up again, he's going to have some unexpected supporters." She proceeded to tell him about Blaise Zabini's request.

"You're trusting the Slytherins?" Ron asked skeptically.

Hermione managed a tired smile. "On the contrary-they're trusting me. I was saying last year how the Houses all need to work together, and this is my chance to make it happen. Do you know what it would be like if the Slytherins-some of them, anyway-could work with the Gryffindors?"

"Yeah. It would be like Hagrid suddenly deciding that dragons really aren't cuddly and lovable," Ron snorted. He yawned again. "You should finish it later in the morning, Hermione. You look exhausted."

"Do I sense a bit of concern?" Hermione asked wryly.

"I just don't want you putting yourself out for the Slytherins."

Hermione sighed. "I told you, Ron, I want to do this. Besides, I told Blaise I'd have all of this ready by ten in the morning."

Ron shook his head as Hermione turned back to the basket. He doubted Hermione had any idea how crazy she was sometimes-admirable, but a bit loopy. She had so many strange ideas...that spew thing that she still went on about, for one. Even after seeing Dobby wearing bunches of her hats, she refused to accept that he took all of the clothes she made for the house-elves. Sometimes he wasn't sure if he wanted to shake some sense into her or just grin at her audacity.

As he watched her sit there and whisper a spell at pieces of fake gold, he was struck with the sudden thought. Her lunacy is just one of the things that makes me love her so much. The force of the thought caught him off guard, and his eyes widened. What in the...where did that come from? I don't love Hermione...I mean, as a friend I do, but...

As if sensing something amiss, Hermione glanced over at him again. "You all right, Ron? You look a bit pale."

Ron shook his head to clear it. "Um...yeah...I'm just tired. I think I'm going to go back to bed." He stood up quickly. Yeah, that's it. You're just tired, Ron. Your mind does strange things when you're tired.

You just tell yourself that, mate, another part of his mind muttered as he hurried toward the staircase.

"Well, goodnight, Ron," Hermione said.

"'Night," Ron mumbled. He disappeared up the staircase and headed for his dormitory. Stop thinking about it, he ordered himself. It was just a nonsense thought. He felt distinctly uncomfortable, and wondered why he would feel so unnerved it was just a nonsense thought.

At breakfast on Sunday morning, Hermione couldn't help but notice that Ron was avoiding her gaze. At first she thought that he was just tired, but when she spoke directly to him, he only mumbled and looked down at his plate of toast and sausage. This continued throughout breakfast, and finally, exasperated, she said, "Ron, what is thematter with you? Do I have something hanging out of my nose?"

Ron finally looked up. His eyes met hers, and then his ears turned red and he was back to staring at his food. Hermione noticed several other Gryffindors giving them odd looks, which was normal-Gryffindors were always giving them strange looks, what with all the squabbles they had. She sighed, stood up, and grabbed Ron's arm. "Come on," she said.

"Hermione...my breakfast..."

"You're on your third plate. I think you can manage," Hermione said smartly. "I want to talk to you."

She dragged him out into the entrance hall, and then turned to face him, still gripping his arm. "What did I do this time?" she demanded.

"Hermione, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on. I'm not dense, Ron. You're refusing to look at me, and you keep acting embarrassed about something," Hermione replied.

"I'm not embarrassed about anything!" Ron protested, his blue eyes locking on hers.

"Then what's wrong?"

"Nothing!" He averted his eyes again.

Hermione snorted. "I haven't known you for five years for nothing, Ron. You can't lie to me."

"Hermione! Will you just leave off! I'm fine, and I don't need you prying!" Ron twisted his arm away from her.

"If everything's fine, there wouldn't be anything to pry into, would there?" Hermione replied shrewdly.

They were saved from further debate when a loud cry abruptly sounded through the entrance hall, followed by a chorus of raucous laughter. Ron and Hermione both froze and spun around, looking for the source of the noise, their argument temporarily forgotten. "It's coming from the door to the dungeons," Ron said, running toward the door, Hermione on his heels. Wands out, they pulled the door open and found Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Millicent Bulstrode, and several other Slytherins in a half-circle, facing three other Slytherins. One was standing, and a second was crouched on the floor beside the third, a girl with short brown hair. The girl appeared to be unconscious. Everyone except her had their wands out.

Hermione wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew if it had to do with Draco Malfoy, it couldn't be good. She pointed her wand at his group at the same time Ron did. "Stop right there. What's going on?" Hermione demanded.

"Oh, look. The Mudblood and the Weasel have come to the rescue," Malfoy drawled.

Hermione suspected she might know what was going on. Still pointing her wand at Malfoy's bunch, she knelt beside the girl on the floor. "What did you do to her?" she demanded of Malfoy.

The boy crouched on the ground said angrily, "They attacked from behind-we didn't see them coming. I have to get her to the hospital wing."

"What is going on here?" a familiar voice asked. Hermione glanced over to see Professor Snape walking around the corner from the dungeons.

"Malfoy attacked us, sir," the Slytherin facing Malfoy said, not taking his wand or his eyes off of Draco.

"And why," Snape asked softly, "would Malfoy attack a fellow Slytherin?" His eyes landed on Draco. "He is a prefect."

"Then who cursed her?" Hermione butted in, pointing at the girl on the floor.

Snape sneered at Hermione. "This is Slytherin business, Granger. You and Weasley-out."

"But-"

"If I have to ask you again, I will begin taking points from Gryffindor."

Ron tugged on Hermione's arm. "Hermione, come on," he muttered.

Hermione stood mulishly for a moment, and then turned and slowly followed Ron back into the entrance hall. "He had better not take Malfoy's side on this," she snapped. "I bet you anything that those three Slytherins were part of the group I'm helping-the ones I told you are fighting against Voldemort. What other reason would Malfoy have for attacking them?"

Ron's voice was low when he said, "Well, Snape's one of those Slytherins fighting Voldemort, so maybe he'll take their side."

Hermione sighed. "Maybe." Her mind fell back on her argument with Ron, but he wasn't avoiding her gaze anymore. "Are you all right now? You're actually looking at me again?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "Yes, all right? I'm fine, and I'm looking at you. Now can I go finish my breakfast?" Without waiting for an answer, he turned and walked back into the Great Hall.

Hermione couldn't help noticing that the tips of his ears had turned red again.

At ten o'clock, as promised, Blaise Zabini arrived outside of the Fat Lady's portrait. Hermione was waiting for him, a tied cloth bag in one hand, and a folded piece of paper in the other. "Here you go," she said, handing them to him. "Whenever you want your group to meet, you change your coin, and all of the others will change, too. You can keep them in your pockets and they'll grow hot when they change."

"Thank you." Blaise took the bag and the paper from her. "I know it must have taken a while."

Hermione nodded. "It did, but I'm glad I could help." Blaise turned to walk away, but she stopped him. "Um...Ron Weasley and I saw something happen with the Slytherins this morning..." She proceeded to explain the scene that they had come upon.

Blaise's face darkened. "Yes, you're right. Malfoy and his gang attacked some of our group."

"Is the girl going to be all right?"

"She's in the hospital wing right now. Madam Pomfrey says she'll be out tomorrow." His jaw tightened. "And Malfoy will regret it."

"You're not going to attack him, are you?" Hermione asked worriedly.

"We're going to defend ourselves," Blaise said shortly. "You don't live in Slytherin. You have no idea the kind of stuff that goes on there." He shook his head. "Thanks again for your help." He turned and walked quickly away.

Hermione bit her lip. It was hard to imagine that much animosity going on in a House. Sure, the Gryffindors had arguments sometimes, but they certainly didn't go attacking each other in the hallways. And from the list Blaise had given her, it seemed that there were far many more Slytherins who were against them.

A sudden idea struck Hermione. Well...maybe there's something we can do to help them out...

Hermione's first goal was to track down Harry. She found him outside, sitting in the stands around the Quidditch pitch, writing up more plans for the Quidditch team. She sat down and talked with him for a while. He agreed to her idea, so together, they recruited Seamus, Dean, Ginny, Neville, and Will Warren, because he and Neville had been playing a game of Exploding Snap, and he was curious about what was going on. Then the seven of them spread out around the school, tracking down all of the members of the D.A.-at least the ones that hadn't graduated.

Meanwhile, Hermione swung by the hospital wing, where she spent a good hour talking to the Slytherin Second Year, Alessandra Harmon. Lorelai Byars, the short-haired girl who had been brought in earlier, was still unconscious.

It took the better part of the morning and early afternoon, but by three o'clock, all save one of the remaining D.A members (and Will) were gathered at one of the tables in the Great Hall. The one that was missing was Cho Chang, and Hermione wasn't that surprised that she wasn't there, though her boyfriend, Michael Corner, was avoiding Harry, she mused. Also in attendance was the Society of Slytherins, courtesy of Alessandra.

Needless to say, there was quite a bit of suspicion and hostility at first, but Harry and Hermione managed to get everyone calm. A discussion began that lasted until people began filing in for dinner, and then they separated to their respective tables to eat. When dinner was over, they got back together.

By the time everyone had to head to their dormitories because of curfew, the Hogwarts Coalition had been formed. It was an allegiance between all four Houses. They agreed to work together, to watch out for each other, and to do everything they could to help in the fight against Voldemort. It was also decided that they would continue to meet on Sunday afternoons, as Sunday was generally the day when the least amount was going on.

As Harry, Hermione, and Ron headed back to Gryffindor Tower, Hermione said, "It should be something that's open to anyone in the school. I'm sure the whole school will know about it by tomorrow anyway. I hope Dumbledore says it's all right," she worried as an afterthought. "I mean, I know those horrible decrees Umbridge set up were done away with, but what if we get in trouble for setting up something so big?"

"I'm sure it will be fine, Hermione," Harry said. "And it's not like we're going to be discussing a bunch of secrets. There are too many people, and too many possibilities that secrets might be betrayed. I don't think this should be a secret. I think the people-like Malfoy-who are going to attack others for standing against Voldemort should definitely know about us. He's going to be watched very closely from now on, by a lot of people in different Houses."

"Who would have thought? We're working with the Slytherins," Ron said. He glanced at Hermione. "I wonder if Hagrid's rethought his outlook on dragons?"

Hermione chuckled, and Harry looked at the two of them, baffled. "What?"

"Never mind," Ron and Hermione said together.

The next week was one of the most interesting in Harry's life, and that was saying a lot. Word had spread like fire through the school that students from all four Houses had joined together. On Monday evening at dinner, Dumbledore told the school outright, "I'm proud of you for taking the initiative to work together."

"See? He as much as gave us his blessing," Harry told Hermione.

Others weren't as happy about it. Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins redoubled their efforts to make other students miserable. They didn't have as much success in cursing their fellow Slytherins-or anyone else, for that matter. They tried it several times. The first time they tried cursing a Fourth-Year Slytherin in a hallway between classes, a Fifth-Year Ravenclaw spotted them. Malfoy and Goyle both wound up in the hospital wing, and the Slytherin and Ravenclaw went away unscathed. As things grew more heated with some of the Slytherins, the teachers were hard put to keep a closer eye on the students than ever.

Meanwhile, Harry was continuing to keep busy with Quidditch practice, homework, and extra meetings with Sari to learn sign language. He was satisfied to see that Malfoy had yet to retaliate on her. It might have had something to do with the fact that Malfoy's attention was being caught up by other Slytherins. Harry knew Sari would probably have to deal with him sooner or later-Malfoy wouldn't forget what she had done. He was happy to note that he never saw Sari by herself-Aiden, or one of her other friends, was always with her.

On top of that, Dumbledore called him to his office and told him that he needed to continue his Occlumency lessons. Dumbledore himself had given Harry numerous Occlumency lessons during the summer, but he hadn't had any since the start of term. He felt he had made a lot of progress during the summer-his scar rarely hurt, and he wasn't having dreams or getting into Voldemort's head anymore, and most importantly, Voldemort wasn't getting into his head.

He was very relieved to hear that Dumbledore would continue the Occlumency lessons, rather than turning him over to Snape.

Harry was so busy, in fact, that he didn't have much time to think about anything except what was happening at the very moment, and that was just fine with him. Too much time to think meant dwelling on thoughts he'd rather not deal with.

His friends were equally busy. Ron had prefect duties, homework, and Quidditch practice. Hermione also had prefect duties, she was always doing homework, she tutored Will and Shay in Transfiguration on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and she was still relentlessly working on the liberation of house-elves. This included knitting hats and socks, which she had taken to hiding not only in Gryffindor Tower, but in different random places in the castle. Harry wondered how much of the castle Dobby was going to end up cleaning by himself. The other house-elves would soon be paranoid about cleaning anything, in fear that they would come across a piece of clothing and be freed.

Other people were even busier. On Wednesday evening, Harry had been asleep for several hours after an especially long Quidditch practice. At about three in the morning, he got up to use the bathroom, and was about to head back to bed when he realized there was a bright, unflickering light on downstairs in the common room. Usually the fire was the only thing kept tended during the night. He frowned and padded downstairs. There was a lamp set up on one of the tables in the common room, and books and parchment were strewn across the table. Ginny Weasley sat in front of the mess, her head on the table. She was still dressed in her Quidditch robes, and she was fast asleep.

Harry debated between just leaving her there or waking her, but decided she'd probably get a more restful night's sleep if she was in her bed. "Ginny?" he whispered. She didn't move. He walked forward and shook her shoulder. "Ginny?"

Ginny jerked awake with a start, her brown eyes bleary and bloodshot. She had been sleeping on her quill, and now had an imprint of it on one cheek. There was an ink spot on her jaw. "Wh...Harry?" She blinked, confused, and looked around. "Oh, no," she groaned. "I must have fallen asleep. I still don't have my History of Magic paper finished, and my Transfiguration paper isn't written..."

"You can work on it in the morning," Harry told her firmly. "Right now, I think you need sleep more than anything. Fifth Year is rough, and I probably didn't help with the extra-long Quidditch practice."

Ginny dragged herself to her feet. "Oh, no, Harry, that's fine. Quidditch is my favorite part of the week...it helps take my mind off of the less fun stuff." She sighed heavily and began to gather up her books and papers. "I'm probably just doing too much, but I'm trying to get ahead this year so I can focus the next two years on what I really want to do."

Harry hadn't even considered asking her what she wanted to do-Ron and Hermione weren't even sure what they wanted to do yet, though Hermione was looking into different occupations at the Ministry. "Here, let me help," he said, picking up an armload of books. "What is it you want to do?"

"Become an Auror." She looked at him quickly, as if expecting him to make fun of her.

He was surprised. "Really? When did you decide you wanted to be an Auror? That's what I'm aiming for."

"Yeah, that's what Ron said. I decided it's what I wanted to do after...after my First Year." Ginny paused awkwardly, and then said, "Here, let me take those-you can't carry them to my dorm; you're not allowed up to the girls' dormitories."

Harry carefully set the books on top of the ones already in Ginny's arms. She tucked her chin on top of them to hold them in place. "Thanks, Harry." She trudged over to the stairs that led to the girls' dormitories.

"'Night, Ginny." Harry watched to make sure her load of books didn't cause her to topple down the stairs. When she was out of sight, he put out the light in the common room and headed back to his own dormitory. So Ginny had decided it was what she wanted after her First Year...after Voldemort had possessed her. It was an interesting choice-had she done it because of her experience with Tom Riddle?

Even though he had known Ginny for five years now, he began to realize how little he really knew her. Of course, the first four years, she had had a crush on him, and always acted terrified around him, and last year...well, he had been dealing with a lot last year.

Then again, he had been dealing with a lot every year. And I don't exactly go out of my way to make new friends, he thought to himself. He sighed. It was just so much trouble, and so many people had been suspicious of him numerous times during his years at Hogwarts. Things are different now...people know the truth. They believe you.

Harry slipped under his covers and closed his eyes. As he began fell asleep, one last thought crossed his mind. I don't want more people to be close to...then I might lose them too...just like Sirius.

On the Friday following the establishment of the Hogwarts Coalition, the Gryffindors and the Slytherins again had Care of Magical Creatures together. Harry couldn't help feeling the hostility among the Slytherins. Three of the Sixth Years were part of the Coalition-Blaise Zabini, Samantha Greer, and Shay Long.

"How are things going in the Slytherin dorms?" Harry whispered to Blaise when he got the chance.

Blaise made a face. "Not so great. Shay here-" he jerked his head in Shay's direction "-was finally moved into the Fifth Year dormitory with me. He'd been sleeping in the common room, but Snape made him sleep in his dorm. He shared a room with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle," he explained.

Harry winced.

"Yeah. Anyway, after Malfoy's bed curtains caught on fire, and after Goyle's bed exploded, and after Shay and Crabbe ended up in the hospital wing, Dumbledore had Shay moved," Blaise explained. "There have been other students moved to other dormitories, too-the Slytherin House is not a very friendly place to be right now."

Harry thought about the peace he usually had in his dormitory and was again grateful that the Sorting Hat hadn't placed him in Slytherin. Sure, he and the boys in his dorm had rows sometimes, but not to the point of setting anyone's bed hangings on fire.

Hagrid was still gone, so Charlie Weasley was still teaching. He came out of Hagrid's cabin, Hagrid's huge boar hound Fang at his heels. He was carrying a large basket, and he set it on the ground in front of the students. "This," Charlie began, "is the first part of the practical application of this class."

Practical application? But we've been learning about dragons... Harry thought with trepidation.

"In this basket," Charlie continued, "I have a dragon egg."

Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil gasped. "But Professor Weasley, dragons are dangerous!" Lavender squealed.

"Not to mention illegal," Malfoy drawled.

"I'm a licensed dragon trainer, and this is authorized by the Ministry of Magic," Charlie replied firmly. "This year, as a class, we are going to take care of this dragon, starting right now. This egg is due to hatch in about a week. Today, however, we're going to learn how to care for the egg."

Oh, no, Harry groaned. He had no doubt Charlie knew what he was doing, but he couldn't shake the sense of d j vu that struck him at the mention of a dragon egg. His experiences with real, live dragons hadn't been the best.

Hagrid would be thrilled. I wonder if he knows what he's missing...

Chapter Eleven ~ Back to the Beginning

Ron Weasley was going insane-or he felt like he was. All week, everytime he looked at Hermione, his mind went back to the stray thought that had flown into his head the previous weekend. Her lunacy is just one of the things that makes me love her so much. Everytime he tried not to think about it, it only came back to him more strongly.

He tried to act normally around Hermione, but she had to know that something was wrong with him. She kept shooting him concerned glances, but everytime she tried to corner him about what was the matter, he found an excuse to slip away. He had never been so glad that they were both so busy-as long as he could keep busy, he could keep away from Hermione, and away from the thought that was haunting him.

But Hermione wasn't the only one who noticed something amiss. Harry didn't seem to notice anything-yet-but Ginny did. That didn't surprise Ron; not only had she lived with him her entire life, but she was very perceptive. On Saturday morning, Harry pulled them out of bed for yet another Quidditch practice. It was beginning to get cloudy outside, and it was unusually chilly.

Harry ended the Quidditch practice when it began to rain. Ginny held Ron back in the lockers until everyone else had left, saying she wanted to talk to him. When the room was empty of all save the two siblings, she said, "What's the matter with you?"

"What do you mean?" Ron asked defensively.

"Ron, you're so distracted. You missed several really easy blocks, and you just haven't been yourself this week," Ginny said bluntly.

"I'm just busy, all right?"

Ginny sighed heavily. "It's about Hermione, isn't it?"

Ron stiffened. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, Ron, I have eyes and ears, you know. Whenever we're all in the common room and you look at her, you get this really weird look on your face, and you stare at her when she's not looking."

Ron opened his mouth to protest that he did not stare at Hermione, and then realized that maybe he had been, without realizing it. "Look, Ginny-"

"You really like her, don't you?" Ginny cut him off.

Ron felt himself flushing, and cursed the complexion that made him turn red at every little thing. "She's my friend, of course I like her."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant, and you know it."

"Ginny-"

Ginny interrupted him again. "You like her, and you've finally realized it. And now you're going to try to deny it and hide it, and it's not going to work. You have to talk to her about it."

"Ginny, I don't need you meddling in my-" Ron began furiously. Then he realized what he had been about to say, and his face grew even redder.

Ginny made a noise that sounded suspiciously like she was trying to hold back a laugh. "Your love life?" she teased, grinning. Before Ron could retort, her face straightened, and she said seriously, "She likes you too, Ron."

Ron again opened his mouth to protest liking Hermione, and instead found himself saying, "How do you know?"

"Oh, honestly, Ron, you are so thick! She's liked you for ages; anyone can see that you two are supposed to be together!"

"How do you know she likes me? Did she tell you?" Ron was experiencing a curious mixture of aggravation, nerves, and something akin to hope.

"You'll have to talk to her about it," Ginny said firmly. "So get to it."

"I...can't..."

Ginny gave him a very amused smile. "Ron, you have faced spells and giant spiders and Death Eaters, not to mention growing up in a house with Fred and George. Compared to that, facing Hermione Granger should be easy."

Ron's face turned from scarlet to pale white in a heartbeat. Ginny smiled comfortingly and stood on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "I know you have it in you." She left him alone in the locker rooms.

What is she talking about? She doesn't...I can't possibly...

Ginny seemed to know what she was talking about. What if she was right? What if Hermione does want to be more than just friends?

But what if she doesn't? What if Ginny was wrong? I couldn't face that!

Ron spent a good fifteen minutes pacing the locker room and debating with himself. He finally decided that he needed some more time to think, and wondered if he could find someone to play chess with him, so he could clear his mind a bit. He hurried through the rain back to the castle and Gryffindor Tower. Hermione, fortunately, was nowhere in sight. Probably at breakfast.

The common room was decidedly empty, and those that occupied it all looked busy. Then Ron spotted Will Warren sitting in front of the fire, rolling his wand between his fingers and staring into the flames. From what Ron noticed of him, he always seemed to be thinking-sometimes it seemed he was in a world of his own.

Ron plunked down in an armchair near the fire. "So...Will...know how to play chess?"

The thick gray clouds continued to drop buckets of rain on Hogwarts. Will had accepted Ron's offer to play wizard chess, and was seated in an armchair in front of the fire, staring at the board. He had learned to play wizard chess from his father, and was a pretty good match, but Ron could still best him. This was their third game-Ron had won the first game, and Will the second, but something seemed to be bothering Ron, and Will thought his distraction was the only reason he had lost the second game.

Will spent the week after the formation of the Hogwarts Coalition keeping a very close eye on his fellow members, and at the same time, wondering what on earth was taking Professor McGonagall so long to return the Gourl to Ron. How long could it possibly take?

He and Shay had planned to come to Hogwarts, deal with the Gourl, and get out quickly, before they meddled too much in their parents' lives. It just seemed that nothing was working out as they had planned. Already, due to Shay, something major had been changed. In the original timeline, there had been no Hogwarts Coalition. In fact, it had not been until their parents' Seventh Year that they slowly began to work with some of the Slytherins. Now, though, Shay had told Blaise to enlist Hermione's help, and Blaise had done so, resulting in all of the Houses working together.

While Will knew that some things were going to be changed-had to be changed, in fact-he was beginning to realize just how powerful an effect they were having on this time in many little ways. It was hitting home, and it was scary. There were some things Will didn't want to change, and he was afraid they would do something to really mess stuff up.

Will had also found himself being befriended by the other students, despite trying to keep distanced from them. Out of all of the people in Hogwarts, Will had made fastest friends with the person he had least expected: Neville Longbottom. Will certainly hadn't initiated it-he had kept to himself, trying to observe everything that was going on, while not becoming too involved. Neville, however, had gone out of his way to make him feel welcome.

Maybe it was because Neville had always been a misfit, or maybe he was just trying to be nice, but whenever Will was by himself, Neville always appeared and offered his company. As a result, Will had gotten to know the round-faced boy a bit. He couldn't help thinking that he shouldn't be the one getting to know Neville-it should be Shay.

And now, he was playing chess with Ron. The idea that he was sitting across from his father, who was the same age as he was, playing a game of wizard chess, was very strange to Will, regardless to what he had gotten used to in his time at Hogwarts. He couldn't believe it was only September nineteenth. In some ways, it seemed like he had been at Hogwarts for ages, and in others, it seemed he had just arrived.

Ron's queen was just shepherding one of Will's rooks off of the board when Professor McGonagall came into the common room. "Mr. Weasley. Just the person I was looking for." It caused Will a moment of panic before he realized she was talking to Ron, not him. She stepped up to Ron and held out her hand. "I finished running tests on this. Everything looks just fine." She passed the Gourl to Ron.

Will froze, his eyes locked on the round metal ball. Ron simply took it and stuffed it in his pocket. "Thanks, Professor." As Professor McGonagall walked away, Ron shot Hermione, who had come downstairs during their second game and was now seated on the floor surrounded by books, an I-told-you-so look.

That night when Ron went to bed, he tucked the Gourl into his book bag beside his four-poster. Will laid awake in his own bed as his roommates trickled in and drifted off to sleep. His thoughts were on the seemingly innocent object that was not ten feet from his bed.

It would have been much easier if Will could have simply written a letter to Dumbledore while McGonagall already had the Gourl. It would have saved him the trouble of stealing it from Ron. The problem was, there was a catch to finding the connections in the Gourl.

When Ron, Harry, and Hermione had realized that somehow it was responsible for the problems caused at the end of their Sixth Year, the Aurors had been unable to find anything wrong with it. It had taken the Aurors two months to find hidden protections that, when broken, revealed spells in it-and a magical connection to Nymphadora Tonks, and to a mirror in Voldemort's possession.

Will knew how to break the protections on the Gourl, and he supposed he could have written it out and sent it to Dumbledore, but he wanted to make sure it worked, and be one hundred percent sure this was the real Gourl. This was just the safest way to do it.

In order to do that, he had to physically hold the object. When Will was sure everyone in his dorm was asleep, he quietly slipped out of bed and pulled on the invisibility cloak. He had to be invisible while he did this, or Voldemort would see him.

Will crept over to Ron's bed and crouched beside his book bag. He dug out the Gourl and pulled it under his cloak. Gripping it tightly in his hand, he spoke in a bare whisper the words that would allow the hidden spells and connections within it to be found.

The Gourl grew hot in his hand, so hot that Will almost dropped it. Then, almost as quickly, it became cool again. Will let out a breath that he hadn't realized he was holding. That was it. It should have worked. He went back to his bed and pulled out a small box, tucking the Gourl into it. After that he snuck out of his dormitory and made his way downstairs to the common room. He heard voices and froze, then tiptoed into the common room.

Hermione and Ginny were seated at one of the tables in the corner, books spread about them. "...think the teachers are trying to kill us with homework," Ginny was saying, sounding frustrated. "And Quidditch practice is three times a week... I fell asleep in History of Magic and Charms yesterday." She rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Thanks again for helping me sort all this out."

"My pleasure. The key to it is planning out your schedule and sticking to it. I know it's exhausting," Hermione said sympathetically.

"At least I'm not a prefect," Ginny laughed. "I don't know how you and Ron handled it on top of everything else last year."

Will realized that if he left Gryffindor Tower now, Hermione and Ginny would see the portrait swing open, but he needed to get this done now. For all he knew, Voldemort might realize that the protective spells on the Gourl had been broken, and take some kind of action.

Tiptoeing across the common room, Will quietly pushed the portrait hole open, glancing over his shoulder at Hermione and Ginny. They had noticed the portrait hole opening. He quickly stepped through and fled down the hallway, making his way toward the owlery. He passed Mrs. Norris prowling the corridors, and Peeves blowing wads of bubble gum at the portraits lining another hallway.

When he reached the owlery, he pulled off the invisibility cloak and found an owl. He quickly tied the box containing the Gourl to its talon, along with a letter he had already written. "Dumbledore, please, as fast as you can. It's an emergency," he whispered to the owl. With a rush of wings, the owl was gone.

Satisfied that this much, at least, was done, Will put the cloak back on and headed back to the dormitory.

Sunday morning at breakfast, Hermione plunked herself down next to Harry and across from a freshly-showered, tired-looking Ron. She shot him a questioning look, and he nodded at Harry. "He decided we needed to get up at five o'clock this morning for an extra Quidditch practice. And of course it had to be in the rain, so we all got soaked."

"Our first game is in six weeks," Harry said in reply. "We have to get in as much practice as possible, and we needed a practice session in the rain-it could be raining on the day of the match. We have to be ready for anything."

Hermione refrained from rolling her eyes. She grabbed a muffin and began to butter it. "Say, Harry, were you out wandering the halls after hours last night? In your father's cloak?"

Harry frowned at her. "No. Why?"

Hermione waved her hand. "Oh, just wondering..." she said vaguely, taking a bite out of the muffin. She had been sure Harry had left the common room in his father's invisibility cloak-it was the only explanation she could think of for the portrait hole suddenly opening like it had.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and shrugged.

Professor McGonagall strode up to the breakfast table. "Have any of you seen Mr. Warren?"

The three of them exchanged glances. "He was still asleep when we went out for Quidditch practice."

"He's in the common room," Ginny said, coming up behind Professor McGonagall. She looked just as tired as Ron. "I think he's coming down for breakfast."

"Thank you, Ms. Weasley." Professor McGonagall turned and hurried out of the Great Hall.

"Mr. Warren, there you are. The Headmaster wishes to speak with you."

Will was on his way down to breakfast, but he froze at Professor McGonagall's words. "Um...do you know why?"

"I will let the Headmaster discuss that with you. Follow me, please."

Suddenly anxious-did this have something to do with the note and the Gourl?-Will followed Professor McGonagall to a statue of a gargoyle. "Chocolate frog," McGonagall told the gargoyle. It jumped out of the way, revealing stone steps that moved upward. Will followed her onto the moving stairs, and to a door that led to Dumbledore's office.

McGonagall knocked on the door, then pushed it open. "Albus, I've found Mr. Warren." She stood aside and motioned Will to step through.

"Thank you, Minerva," Dumbledore said.

McGonagall shut the door behind Will. Will looked around nervously at Dumbledore's office. It was full of numerous silver contraptions and gadgets of all sorts. Portraits of previous headmasters and headmistresses lined the walls, all of them apparently asleep. Perched on a stand beside Dumbledore's desk was his brilliantly-colored phoenix, Fawkes.

"Good morning, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said, dropping the pretense of calling him 'Warren.'

"Good morning, sir," Will replied nervously.

"Please, sit down." He waved his wand, and a chintz armchair appeared in front of his desk. Will sat.

"I suppose you are wondering why you're here," Professor Dumbledore said.

"Um...yes."

"Last night, I received a most interesting package and letter." Professor Dumbledore pulled a piece of paper and handed it to Will.

Will blanched. In his own neat handwriting was a very short note.

Professor Dumbledore,

I know this won't make much sense, but enclosed is an object that

has spells in it. You will be able to find connections that will lead

you to a person who gave this anonymously to Ron Weasley so

that Voldemort could spy on Harry with a mirror that he has.

He had known, of course, that Dumbledore would probably guess he had sent it, but he hadn't wanted him to be able to connect him to it...what if he asked Will about it? What if Tonks had something here, in Dumbledore's office, to spy on them? What if...?

"When I saw this letter, I realized that despite all of my wishes, I was going to have to ask you some questions," Dumbledore continued. "And that I was going to have to explain several things to you...for your safety, and for others' safety. When I realized you and your friends were from the future, and asked you to come here to give you a safe place to stay, I knew you were here for a reason. I did not ever suppose that this-" he pointed at the letter "-was perhaps the reason you were here. I gave it great thought last night, and I realized that perhaps in your own timeline, something had happened where you believed Nymphadora really was working for Voldemort. So I must ask, Mr. Weasley. Did you come back to this time to reveal Nymphadora as a spy?"

Will blinked. How could he answer that? It might change...but you need things to change. Dumbledore doesn't believe that Tonks is working for Voldemort...he doesn't understand...you have to tell him. "Um, yes." Partly. "Tonks is part of the Order, but she's a double agent," he added.

Dumbledore didn't look surprised that he knew about the Order. He sighed and leaned forward, resting his chin on his fingertips. "That is what I feared. Time is a very complex matter, William. We have strict laws enforcing time travel, because horrible things have happened sometimes with wizards who have attempted it. In this case, I fear that in your own time, the truth about some matters must have been buried." He paused. "You see, Nymphadora Tonks is not working for Voldemort. She is, and always has been, working with me. However, we managed to convince Voldemort that she was working for him, but not as Nymphadora Tonks. She morphed herself into someone else, and went by a different name." Another pause. "Nymphadora did create the spells in the Gourl and to the mirror in Voldemort's possession, William, but she did it on my orders. It was to prove to Voldemort her good faith-or so he thought. I doubt he truly trusted Nymphadora's alias, but he wanted to spy on Harry, and she offered him a way.

"We gave Voldemort the mirror, which, as you know, fed him the images that the Gourl recorded. Voldemort believed that the images coming from his mirror were real. He believed that the Gourl was truly allowing him to spy on Harry Potter. He didn't realize that the images the Gourl fed him were fabricated. They were created by Nymphadora and myself so that he would believe the lie.

"In actuality, the mirror was a tracking device. Voldemort always had it with him so he could 'spy' on Harry, and as a result, we were able to follow his movements. The Gourl really did function as it was supposed to. Ronald Weasley was able to use it for school. However, it was also needed because it stored the false images that we were feeding Voldemort."

"So..." Will began slowly. "So...in my time, when the Aurors found what it had recorded, they actually found the false images?"

"Yes."

"But...the Ministry information in my time showed that before the-I guess the false images-from Hogwarts started, the Gourl had recorded a bit of Ron's room in the Burrow. We thought we'd be able to find it in his room."

A ghost of a shadow crossed Dumbledore's face. "Ah, yes. That was real. You see, the Burrow is used on occasion by members of the Order when they're in the middle of their work. Nymphadora stayed there the night she created the connections in the Gourl and the Mirror, and she might very well have stayed in Ron's bedroom. So the Gourl would have recorded a bit from the Burrow-perhaps Nymphadora even used those images as a test. You will have to ask her about it later. Those images wouldn't have been given to Voldemort, though."

All of the missing pieces, all of the things that hadn't made sense, began to click into place in Will's mind. "You and Tonks were the only ones who knew about it."

"Yes. The rest of the Order didn't even know that Nymphadora was spying on Voldemort."

That explained why no one ever knew. In Will's timeline, Dumbledore was dead and Tonks was missing- probably dead, now that he thought about it-so no one would have known the Gourl was actually feeding false images. Perhaps if Harry, Ron, and Hermione had seen the images, they would have known, but they hadn't.

"What about the connections? Why did Tonks connect herself to the Gourl and the mirror?"

"It was unavoidable. The type of spell that was used in creating all of this was such that whoever set it up would be connected to both the Gourl and the mirror. No one was ever supposed to find them, though. Nymphadora and I put protections on the Gourl to guard against anyone finding the spells, and thus, the connections-to hide them."

"But I broke through them," Will said quietly.

"Yes. And when you did, not only was I able to find them, but Voldemort was immediately alerted, because the images in his mirror suddenly cut off. He knew that the Gourl had been discovered, and he found the hidden spells, and the connection to Nymphadora...he realized that the witch he thought was working for him was really Nymphadora Tonks."

Will flinched. It was all making sense now. He had ruined an undercover operation...but it still didn't explain some things. "You said the Gourl stored false information, and that's why it was needed. Why give it to Ron, then? Why not keep it?"

"That, I'm afraid, I cannot answer right now, for your safety as well as others."

Will sighed to himself. There are things I'm not telling Dumbledore, and things he's not telling me, because we're both trying to protect people. What if I've just made it worse, though? Because of me Tonks' cover was blown...what if we had just come to Dumbledore in the first place? I know we thought Tonks was spying on him, but...if we had just come to him, he could have explained this to us...and Tonks could still have her undercover operation.

The problem, Will realized, was that they had been caught up in things they saw as problems. They hadn't wanted to change certain things; they hadn't wanted information getting back to Tonks, because the thought she was guilty; they hadn't wanted to reveal themselves in this time, and now, it looked like that was all for nothing. Too many things had been changed already, some things Will had never expected. He could no longer pretend that they weren't going to majorly influence or meddle in their parents' lives; they already had.

It's not up to us whether our parents' get married. It's not up to us whether we're ever born in this timeline. It doesn't matter. We're in this time, we're always going to be in this time, and no matter what we do, we're going to influence it, Will thought.

"But..." he began, then trailed off.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. "Yes, Mr. Weasley?"

"But...if Tonks isn't a traitor, then..." He wanted to tell him everything. He wanted to tell Dumbledore that someone had murdered him at the end of this year, and if Tonks didn't do it, he didn't know who had. He couldn't tell him, though. So many doubts filled Will's mind. What if they told Dumbledore about it, and that somehow caused his death in this new timeline? What if someone else was spying on Dumbledore?

With a feeling of dread, Will realized that he, Shay, and Jamie now had nothing to go on.

Dumbledore was watching him patiently.

"Why...why go to such an elaborate scheme? With the Gourl and the mirror and all?"

"This 'scheme' allowed us three things. It allowed us to track Voldemort, it allowed Nymphadora to work her way into Voldemort's ranks as a spy, and it allowed us to mislead Voldemort as to what Harry was doing. As long as Voldemort believed he was seeing what Harry was doing, there are ways we might have been able to work against him even more."

"Oh." But now Voldemort might try other means to spy on Harry...and get revenge on Tonks...

"I hope that in the future, if you have questions or doubts about something, you might come to me before attempting to change it. As I said, Mr. Weasley, there are laws on time-travel for a reason. I'm sure there is more to this that you are not saying, but know that I am always here to help."

"Yes...thank you." Still feeling bemused, Will left Dumbledore's office, one thought on his mind. I need to talk to Shay and Jamie.

"You have to be kidding me."

Will had finished telling Shay and Jamie about his conversation with Dumbledore.

"Tonks can't be innocent," Shay stated.

Will sighed. "That's what I thought at first, too, but I heard everything Dumbledore said. I think at the end of this year, someone murdered Voldemort, and something happened to Tonks. Due to unfortunate circumstances, everyone thought she was guilty. But she wasn't." He looked at Jamie and Shay significantly. "If Tonks is innocent, Voldemort has to have someone else that's going to kill Dumbledore."

"Great. Just great." Shay threw his hands in the air. "So we've spent all of this time chasing down the wrong person? We stopped the Gourl, thinking we stopped Dumbledore's killer, and now we find out that she really wasn't the killer?" He shook his head and looked at Will and Jamie grimly. "Looks like we're back to square one."

"Maybe we should tell Dumbledore that in our time, he was killed at the end of this year," Jamie said tentatively. "He might be able to prevent it better if he knows."

"Or our telling him might cause his death," Will said.

"We don't know who kills him," Shay replied. "Anything we do or don't do might change things. We just don't know. We have to do everything in our power to keep an eye on Dumbledore, to look for anything out of the ordinary. What if we've changed it so someone tries to kill him sooner than the end of the year? We don't know. But it matters that we still keep our cover. We don't need the whole world knowing we're from the future. We don't need to change everything-we don't want to change everything."

Jamie twisted her fingers together. "Yes, but that's a little difficult, seeing as we don't know what's changed in what ways now!" she said with agitation. "And this means you two are going to have to stay at Hogwarts! Molly and I can't stay here for very much longer, you know. It's getting colder and we were freezing last night...rain was leaking through the Shack in cracks I didn't know existed, and I think Molly's coming down with a cold!"

Will heard her unspoken words-she had been here for three weeks, and she was bored and lonely. "We'll have to figure something out for you and Molly this week, if you can hold out for a few more days," he said tiredly. "And in the meantime..." he trailed off, not sure what to do 'in the meantime.'

"In the meantime, you two had better keep a very sharp eye out. You need to learn all you can," Jamie instructed. She let out a forlorn sigh. "And don't forget about Molly and me. If I can do anything, tell me." She pinned them with her eyes. "We can't fail on this. Dumbledore has to live."

Chapter Twelve ~ Between Friends

Later on Sunday afternoon, the second Hogwarts Coalition meeting took place. It had grown-there were about thirty more students sitting at the table. Everyone talked about the events of the past week, and how everything had been handled. "I think it went quite well," the Seventh Year Slytherin, Filip, said. "The Slytherins that-disagree-with us have become much more wary. They haven't given up on trying to find ways to curse us behind our backs-"

"-or do awful things to us in our House-" Alessandra Harmon, who was out of the hospital wing, interjected.

"-but they're much more careful and sneaky about it," Filip finished.

"Especially since Snape has gotten really upset at any Slytherin who attacks another," a Third Year Slytherin put in. "He's handing out detentions left and right, at anyone who so much as thinks 'lumos.'"

"And Draco Malfoy's planning something," Alessandra's fellow Second Year Xanthe piped up. "We've heard little bits of rumors, but we're not sure what he's planning on dealing out."

"We're keeping a close eye on Malfoy and his group, but they're keeping an equally close eye on us," Blaise agreed.

The end of the meeting consisted of Harry and several other older students teaching the younger ones the Disarming Charm, so that if they were attacked in the halls without an older student or teacher present, they could at least try to disarm their attacker. Harry realized with a strange feeling of resolution that the D.A. was going to continue, whether he had consciously decided that it would or not. He found himself already planning; the students who had been in the D.A. could help teach the ones that hadn't...they could review everything they'd learned last year...

He shook his head. As if I'm not already busy enough...

When the meeting ended, he headed back to Gryffindor Tower with Ron and Hermione. "You know, now that we're working with the Slytherins, I'm learning a lot more about them," Hermione said. "I can't believe some of the stuff that's been going on in their dormitory for years...some of them standing against Voldemort-oh, Ron, deal with it!-and their reasons for it." She shook her head. "Did you know some of them have parents that are just as deep in the Dark Arts as the Malfoys, but they're fighting against their own parents."

"I imagine their summer vacations must be fun," Ron muttered.

"Not to mention Samuel Nott-"

Ron started. "Nott? Like the Death Eater Nott?"

Hermione sighed. "Ron! Haven't you been listening to names?"

"Of course I have, Hermione! But there are like, twenty Slytherins, not to mention all the new people who have joined, and I can't remember all of their names!"

"Well, I was talking to Samuel Nott. When he came here his First Year, he didn't know what to think or believe. His cousin, Andrew, is in our Year. Samuel didn't want to go against his father, but he wasn't sure his father was right. At that point, Blaise was moved to a different dormitory because of his conflicts with Malfoy, and he was starting to keep an eye out for other Slytherins like him. They didn't form a group or anything until this year, but Blaise was watching out for other Slytherins who thought the way he did. He took Samuel under his wing, and now look-his father is an active Death Eater and Samuel's part of a Coalition to fight against the Dark Arts."

"Oh, yeah, really fun summer vacations," Ron repeated. "What I don't get is Zabini-what made him start fighting against the Dark Arts?"

"I haven't asked-"

"He won't say."

Startled, Ron, Hermione, and Harry looked over their shoulders at Ginny, who had come up behind them unnoticed.

Ginny hitched her book bag higher on her shoulder. "I asked him about it last week, but he just looked at me and said in a very quiet voice, 'that's a sad story that won't be told today.' The other Slytherins seem to know what the story is, but they're not talking either."

They all exchanged glances, and Hermione said, "This school is full of surprises. As soon as I think I won't be surprised by anything that happens here, something always proves me-" she cut herself off when faint voices reached their ears. They had been nearing Tonks' office, and now saw that there was a light on inside of it. As they got closer, they recognized the voices-they belonged to Tonks and-

"Professor Lupin!" Ron exclaimed.

Hermione and Ginny motioned them to silence. "He doesn't sound too happy," Ginny whispered.

The four of them stopped outside of Tonks's office, and the voices became words. "-on, Remus, it was secret."

"From the whole Order, I know. I don't understand why Dumbledore would do that, though-why not let the rest of us help?" Remus Lupin asked, sounding as if he were trying very hard to understand something. "You're in danger now, Tonks-Voldemort's going to have everyone out to get you, because he knows you betrayed him."

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny exchanged puzzled glances. How had Tonks betrayed Voldemort?

"I chose to put myself in that danger, Remus. I could do it-I'm a metamorphmagus, and had the ability to do it. Besides that, it's my family that are Death Eaters. It's my duty to do everythiing I can to stand against them. Sirius-"

"Sirius was my best friend," Lupin broke in.

"And he was my cousin. Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are my uncle and aunt. Bellatrix Lestrange is my aunt, and she's still free. The Aurors are guarding Azkaban, but how long until it's attacked? How long until the rest of my family-" this word was spoken with a great deal of sarcasm "-is out killing and torturing again?"

"All right, that's all well and good, but why couldn't you and Dumbledore have let the rest of the Order in on it? Why couldn't we help you? If you were spying on Voldemort, shouldn't we have known about it?" Remus questioned.

Ron mouthed, 'spying on Voldemort?' Harry and Ginny shrugged, and Hermione narrowed her eyes.

"No," Tonks stated.

"Well, why not? Is it because he doesn't trust the rest of us?" Lupin sounded as if he were trying not to sound exasperated. Harry, used to hearing Lupin sound in control and very patient, wasn't quite sure why he sounded so nettled. He knew that Dumbledore's trust meant a great deal to Lupin, and that Lupin felt as if he had broken much of Dumbledore's trust during his years at Hogwarts. Perhaps that was why he seemed upset.

Tonks sighed heavily. "That's exactly the reason, Remus. Well, not precisely the rest of you; but he believes that there is someone spying on the Order. He's not quite sure how, and I've been helping him with it."

"He thinks one of the Order's betrayed us?"

"He doesn't think it's someone from the Order, but he knows that someone has found a way to get information from the Order."

"Why choose you to help, though?" Lupin sounded much more normal, but still puzzled. "Why not let Severus learn what he could? He's already in the Death Eater's ranks."

"I'm an Auror, Remus. It was to our benefit to try to get an Auror into Voldemort's ranks, and the more eyes we have on him, the better. And besides that, whoever is getting intelligence on the Order used that information to attack me when I was on duty last June, just before the battle at the Ministry. Dumbledore and I decided not to tell anyone about it."

Lupin sighed. "I still wish he would have told us. It would have come as less of a shock now."

"I apologize for that," Tonks said sincerely. "And please don't think that Dumbledore-or I-don't trust you, Remus. He trusts you more than you give him credit for."

It seemed that nothing else was going to be said, and Hermione took that moment to step forward, into the light coming from the office. "Tonks-oh! Professor Lupin!" she said, feigning surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Harry, Ron, and Ginny came forward, and Lupin smiled at all of them. "Just paying a visit," he said. "And what are you four up to?"

"Oh, we just finished a meeting," Ginny replied, just as smoothly. "We were heading back to our dormitory. Loads of homework to complete, you know," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Lupin chuckled. "Of course-and even more for you; it's your O.W.L. year, isn't it?"

Ginny groaned. "Oh, don't remind me."

Lupin shot a sideways glance at Tonks. "I hope Tonks isn't loading you down with too much work."

"Just doing my job, Remus-as I'm sure you did, when it was your turn," Tonks replied tartly.

"How long will you be staying?" Harry asked Lupin. It was good to see him. This summer he had spent quite a bit of time talking about Sirius with him. It was comforting to have him around-out of all of Harry's father's best friends, Lupin was the only one left that he could talk to. He was one of the only links to his parents and Sirius that he had.

"For a few days, at least," Lupin replied.

"Well, we'd best be getting back to Gryffindor Tower," Hermione said cheerfully. "We'll see you later."

The four of them left Tonks' office, and as soon as they were out of earshot, began discussing what they had heard. "Do you think it's possible? Is a member of the Orderleaking information?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"I don't know," Hermione said doubtfully. "We can't underestimate the possibility, though-just look at what happened with Peter Pettigrew."

At the mention of Ron's old rat Scabbers, who had actually been an Animagus, Ron growled.

"All I'm saying," Hermione said as they approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, "is that we need to be careful."

Bed curtains flung open, and Dean Thomas's face peered at Ron. "Ron, what are you doing?" he whispered, bleary-eyed. "It's after midnight!"

Ron stopped mid-stride. He had been pacing back and forth in his dormitory, listening to Neville's snores and trying to convince himself into talking to Hermione about how he felt about her. He'd been at it for a good hour now.

"Nothing," Ron muttered. "Just thinking."

"Well, do you mind thinking a little quieter, mate? We have class in the morning, and you sound like a hippogriff on a rampage!"

Ron sighed. "Sorry, Dean."

Dean's bed curtains closed, and Ron went to sit on his own bed, folding his hands together nervously. Why was it so hard for him to think about doing this? It was Hermione,for Merlin's sake!

But that was precisely the problem. It had been nearly two days since his conversation with Ginny, and all he had been doing was stewing over it. How could he be sure Ginny was right about Hermione liking him? Thinking about everything else he knew about his little sister, he knew he should trust her word-growing up in a house with six brothers, Ginny had learned how to find out pretty much anything that was going on.

It was close to two in the morning before Ron finally decided that no matter what, he would talk to Hermione the next day. He couldn't bear the thought of Hermione laughing at him, or telling him she didn't know what he was thinking, there was no way she liked him...but not knowing was the worst kind of torture. He wasn't eating much, he wasn't getting any sleep, and now he was starting to affect his dormmates rest.

I have to know. One way or another...I have to know...

Ron found that he couldn't get much sleep, after all. He ended up trudging down to the common room at around five in the morning, his stomach a knot of nerves. Breakfast wasn't for a couple more hours, but the thought of eating anything made him feel even sicker than he already felt.

When he stepped into the common room, he found Ginny, curled up on one of the couches in front of the fire, Hermione's old copy of Transfiguration Theory spread open on her lap. Ron rolled his eyes and walked over, carefully lifting the book off of her lap. Someone-Ron suspected a certain house-elf-had tucked a blanket over her and set one of Hermione's elf-caps carefully on Ginny's left ear.

Ron plunked down on one of the armchairs in front of the fire, watching Ginny take slow, deep breaths and envying her peaceful slumber. He sat in the chair for quite a while, trying not to fidget, waiting impatiently for Hermione to get up, and dreading it at the same time.

Shortly after six, Ginny stretched and yawned, then slowly opened her eyes.

"'Morning," Ron said.

Ginny jumped. "Ron?" She looked around and groaned. "Oh, no. I did it again. And I still didn't get my Transfiguration paper written." She frowned and picked up the tiny knitted hat that was on her ear. "What is this? One of Hermione's hats?"

"I think Dobby must have been trying to keep the side of your head warm last night," Ron said humorously.

Ginny smiled and then sighed. "What time is it?"

"Just after six."

"You're up awfully early. Usually you sleep as late as possible," Ginny said, sitting up on the couch and tucking her knees against her chest.

"I decided to get up early today," Ron said defensively.

Ginny's eyebrows rose. "I didn't say there was anything wrong with it; I was just commenting on my surprise." She ran her fingers through her tangled hair. "Well, I'm going to take a shower before the rest of the Gryffindor girls invade the bathroom." She set the elf-hat on the arm of the couch, scooped up her copy of Transfiguration Theory,and headed up to the girls' dormitories.

Just a few minutes later, Ron's heart jammed in his throat when Hermione herself came trudging down the stairs. Her bathrobe was tied tightly over her pajamas, and her hair stuck out in a dozen different directions. She yawned and plopped down on the couch Ginny had just left. "What is it, Ron?"

Ron's heart settled a bit, and he frowned. "What's what?"

"Ginny just snuck into my dormitory and woke me up. She said you wanted to talk to me."

For a moment, Ron wasn't sure whether to be thankful or furious at his sister, and he wondered if he was really that transparent? Or perhaps it was just Ginny that saw through him so well. "Oh. Well. Um..." Ron felt his face heating up, and he looked down to hide it. Now that Hermione was actually in front of him, he thought that perhaps he should wait a bit before he had this conversation. He didn't really need to do this right now, right? He could just tell Hermione to go back up to bed...

"Ron? Are you all right?" Hermione asked, a frown creasing her forehead.

"I...er..." Ron tugged at the neck of his pajamas. Ginny's words to him in the locker room the other day came back to him with crystal-clear clarity. "You have to talk to her about it. So get to it... I know you have it in you." He swallowed hard. "I...I...I have to talk to you."

Now Hermione looked concerned. "About what? Ron, are you feeling well? You look a bit ill."

"I have to tell you something," Ron said determinedly, trying to quell the rising nausea in his stomach.

"Yes..." Hermione said slowly. "We already determined that." She had an odd look on her face, like she was trying to figure him out.

"Hermione, I..." Why was this so hard to say? Because you're afraid of being rejected, mate, he told himself. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I-"

"I know you have it in you," Ginny's voice echoed.

"Ron?"

"I can't do this!" Ron exclaimed aloud. He jumped to his feet and stalked over to the window, staring out onto the dark grounds. He was frustrated at himself-frustrated that he felt so inadequate, frustrated that he was so worried about saying what he needed to say.

"Ron..." Hermione sounded concerned. He heard the shuffle of feet, and then she grabbed his arm and turned him around. "Come sit down," she said firmly, dragging him to the couch and pushing him down. Then she sat next to him, tucking her feet under her bathrobe. "Now," she said, "tell me what's going on. What do you want to say?"

"You'll laugh at me," Ron grumbled.

"I won't," Hermione said. "I promise."

"You'll think I'm an idiot."

"Ron, I already think you're an idiot!" Hermione said, exasperated. "Just tell me what's going on, would you? You've been acting oddly all week, and you won't tell me what's wrong, and now that you finally seem willing to talk, you won't! I'm your best friend, Ron, and despite all of our arguments and disagreements, I'll always be your best friend, so there's no use in-"

"Hermione, would you please shut up! You're making this even hard-"

"Well, if you would tell me what it is, I would know what makes it harder, wouldn't I?" Hermione interrupted. "If-"

"I love you, Hermione, okay?" For a moment, Ron's eyes met hers and he stared at her in horror. He hadn't meant to say it like that...he had meant to start by telling her that he liked her... A bit shakily, he said, "There. I said it. I love you, okay?"

Hermione returned his stare in stunned silence. Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Then she closed her mouth and sank back against the arm of the couch, her gaze still locked on his. "You...love me?" she said in a very small voice.

Ron nodded.

Hermione blinked twice. Then, all at once, she squealed loudly and threw herself at Ron, crushing him in a hug. "You blithering idiot!" she told him, laughing in his ear.

"Hermione, you promised you wouldn't laugh!" Ron exclaimed, not quite sure what this meant.

"Ron!" Hermione stopped laughing and leaned back to look at him, a grin on her face. "It's about bloody time. Do you have any idea how long I've waited to hear you say that?"

It was Ron's turn to gape at her. "You...what?" Did this mean what he thought it meant? "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you weren't ready to hear it. You needed to come to conclusions on your own," Hermione told him. "I knew that when you were ready, you would know. You just had to realize it." She was still grinning at him.

"But, Hermione-"

"Oh, Ron, just shut up and kiss me."

Harry-and half of Gryffindor House-was startled awake by the sound of a scream. Harry was on his feet in an instant-that was Hermione's scream. He ran for the door to his dormitory as Dean, Neville, and Will threw open their bed curtains. Seamus was still asleep. Harry noticed that Ron wasn't in his bed, and he bolted toward the common room even faster. What had happened? Had someone been attacked? If Ron or Hermione were hurt...

Several other dormitory doors were being flung open, but Harry was the first one down the stairs. He came to a halt at the bottom, efficiently blocking the stairs, and several other Gryffindors peered over his shoulders. Harry's eyes were locked on the scene that was taking place on the couch in front of the fire...Ron and Hermione, his two best friends, were tangled up in each other's arms, locked in a kiss.

His mouth dropped open, and the sound of giggling caught his attention. He tore his eyes away from the couch, and saw that a group of girls were at the bottom of the stairs leading to their dormitories. Pushing through the crowd of them was Ginny, toweling her long red hair dry. She was grinning at the couple on the couch, and then her eyes traveled across the room and met his.

Harry wasn't sure what to think. He was in a state of such complete shock. Ron and Hermione finally heard the snickers from the Gryffindor girls, and pulled apart, realizing they had an audience. Ron immediately flushed red, but Hermione just giggled.

"Great. I lost an hour of sleep to a snog -fest," Dean grumbled, turning around and trudging back up to the dormitory.

Slowly, people trickled back up to their dormitories, but Harry felt frozen at the bottom of the stairs, still staring at Ron and Hermione. Ginny strode across the room, throwing her towel over a chair. "I told you that you could do it," she told Ron, throwing him a wink. She stopped in front of Harry. "You all right?" she asked quietly.

Harry blinked at her and ran a hand through his hair. "Um..." He looked at Ron and Hermione helplessly. "You knew about this?"

"Harry," Hermione said quickly, standing to her feet. "We didn't...we...um..." She trailed off, flustered.

Harry didn't know why he felt so surprised. He had known, in the back of his mind, that Ron liked Hermione. It was obvious from the way he got so jealous during their Fourth Year when she went to the Yule Ball with Viktor Krum...obvious in the way he got jealous at the mention of Krum, or of Hermione being with any other boy...but he had never really thought about it; never really considered that this might happen.

And now, he still wasn't sure what it all meant. If Ron and Hermione had gotten together-and it seemed they had, if the display on the couch had been any indication-what did it mean for their friendship?

"Harry, you don't have to worry," Hermione said quickly, as if sensing his thoughts. "You're still my best friend...things don't have to change between us..."

"But they will," he realized quietly. "Maybe not in huge ways...but they'll change in little ways." Change...it seemed things were always changing.

"Not all change is bad," Ginny said quietly. She was still studying him curiously.

Harry managed a smile. "No. Not all change is bad." He nodded at Ron and Hermione. "I'm happy for you...really, I am...I was just surprised."

Gryffindor common room was soon bustling with activity, and Ron and Hermione were teased unmercifully. Harry retreated upstairs to get ready for the day, and when he came back down, Ron and Hermione were gone, but Ginny was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "They were going to wait for you, but I told them to go down to breakfast," she told him.

"That's all right. I'm not really hungry."

Ginny tilted her head and studied him. "Do you want to take a walk?"

Harry shrugged. Maybe a walk would help clear his head. "Sure."

Ginny fell into step beside him, and they walked in comfortable silence through the castle and out onto the grounds. They found themselves walking along the side of the lake, and Ginny finally broke the silence. "You don't have to worry, you know."

Harry stopped and looked at her. "Worry about what?"

"Ron and Hermione. They're not going to abandon you."

"I know," Harry said, a bit defensively. "They're my best friends. It's just..." he trailed off. Turning, he sat on the ground by the lake and picked up a rock, rolling it through his fingers.

"Just what?" Ginny plunked onto the ground beside him.

Harry threw the stone into the lake. Ripples ran through the water, and moments later, one of the giant squid's tentacles flailed out of the water. "It's just odd, you know...thinking that they'll share something that I won't. That I can't be a part of." He shook his head, picking up another rock. "I should have expected it...I guess I just hadn't really thought about it."

"You're afraid they're going to abandon you," Ginny said frankly.

"What?" Harry said, startled. He shook his head and hurled the rock into the lake. Another tentacle flung up out of the water and waved around. For some reason, he really didn't mind Ginny talking about this-she was Ron's sister, after all; she knew Ron as well as Harry did. "I know they won't abandon me," he muttered. "They're my best friends. I want them to be happy." But things are going to be different...what if they don't want to spend time around me anymore? They have each other in a different way now... He scooped up a third stone and cupped it in his hand. He pulled his hand back to throw it, but Ginny caught his wrist and plucked the rock out of his fingers.

She held it up in front of his eyes. "Relationships change, Harry-but the kind of friendship you, Ron, and Hermione have can never be removed or replaced. You'll always have people coming into and out of your life, but no matter what, Ron and Hermione are not going to leave you. They're not going to ignore you. You might have to put up with some lovey-dovey mushy stuff for a while," she said, rolling her eyes, "but you've survived worse."

Harry had to grin, and Ginny returned it, and then she flung the stone into the lake. The water rippled, and a third tentacle shot up, and this time, the giant squid threw the rock back at them. Harry and Ginny ducked and the stone sailed over their heads. "But between you and me," Ginny said, standing to her feet, "I think Ron and Hermione are going to be more concerned about how you handle their relationship. They worry about you."

Harry's smile faded. "They shouldn't," he sighed.

"But they do. After all, that's part of what being friends is about." She tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear.

"Yeah? And I suppose another part of being friends is dragging one outside and lecturing him on the faithfulness of his other friends?" Harry asked wryly.

"Oh, Harry, I wasn't trying to lecture, I just-"

Harry grinned again. "I know. Don't worry about it, Ginny. I appreciate it-you're right, I'd be stupid to think that Ron and Hermione would run off and leave me alone just because they'll be dating." Dating...how odd is that?

"Not stupid-just not sensible," Ginny said. "So...are you hungry yet? Because I sure am."

Harry pushed himself to his feet. "Yeah, I think so...and I should probably find Ron and Hermione." They headed back up to the castle, and when they reached the doors to the Great Hall, Harry pushed the door open, then stopped and gave Ginny a half-smile. "Thanks, Ginny."

"Sure thing, Harry. Between friends, and all." She winked at him, then swept past him into the Great Hall.

Ginny had certainly changed in the last year...he would never have been able to talk to her during the first four years he had known her...she had always seemed so shy and withdrawn around him. He was glad she had gotten over that, because she had turned out to be a very sensible and shrewd person, and she had told him exactly what he needed to hear.

Ron and Hermione were sitting together at the Gryffindor Table, whispering between themselves. When Harry approached, they looked up at him-Ron, with a tense expression, and Hermione, with a concerned one. He noticed that they were holding hands.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione began, as soon as he sat down across from them, "I'm really sorry, I wouldn't have wanted you to find out about us the way you did...I mean," she said, flustered, "there was nothing to find out about until that moment, but..."

Her nervousness calmed Harry's anxieties even more. "Hermione," he said, holding up his hand. "It's all right."

"Really, Harry?" Hermione said, biting her lower lip.

"We're still friends, mate," Ron assured him.

"We're not going to leave you out of anything...well, I mean, kissing and stuff like that..." Hermione blushed.

Harry laughed. "Hermione! It's all right. I promise, it's all right. I've never known two people who deserve each other more."

Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, obviously not quite sure how to take that last statement. "You'll really be all right, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, unless you keep at me like this!"

"All right," Hermione finally relaxed and smiled at him. She held out her hand to him. "Friends?"

Harry set his hand on top of hers. "Always."

Chapter Thirteen ~ A New Home

It had stopped raining on Sunday afternoon and for the first half of Monday, but on Monday afternoon, the skies again opened, and it rained until lunctime on Tuesday. The gray clouds mirrored Will's glum feelings. He was no closer to knowing what to do about their new predicament then he had been on Saturday. To add to it, Ron had discovered his Gourl was missing on Monday morning, but everyone he questioned knew nothing of where it had gone. He hadn't thought to question Will, for which Will was grateful, as he knew he was a terrible liar.

And on top of that, word had spread like wildfire through Gryffindor Tower-Ron and Hermione had been caught snogging on a couch in the common room. Will had been witness to it, and had watched in disbelief and elation. His parents were, officially, together. He just couldn't figure out how. In his time, they hadn't gotten together at the end of their Sixth Year. Something had been changed, and he wasn't sure what. Of course, that was probably the reason Ron didn't get too worked up over the Gourl-he was too busy goggling Hermione.

The bottom of Will's robes were soaked by the time he reached the Shrieking Shack on Tuesday evening. He was surprised to see a very agitated Jamie already waiting for him. All thoughts about telling her that Ron and Hermione were together fled his mind. He dropped the invisibility cloak on the ground. "James? What's wrong?"

"Oh, Will, I'm so glad you're here," Jamie said in a tightly-controlled voice. It was the closest to a panicked voice that Will had heard from her in quite a while. "It's Molly..." She seized him by the arm and began to pull him toward the back bedroom.

Fear overwhelmed him. Something had happened to Molly, and it was bad enough to have Jamie this worried. He quickened his pace, pulling out of Jamie's grip in his hurry to reach the bedroom. "Molly? What about her? Is she all right?"

"She's sick, Will...she started getting worse yesterday, and she's really bad today...it's to the point where if you were any longer in coming, I was going to take her to Hogwarts myself. She needs medical attention."

They had reached the bedroom Jamie and Molly had been using. Molly was lying in a little ball, Jamie's robes and an old blanket tucked around her tiny form. Will knelt beside her bed and saw that her freckles stood out on her deathly pale, sweaty face. She was shivering, but when he put a hand on her cheek, he found it burning to the touch.

"Molly?"

Her eyes were closed, and the only answer she gave was a hoarse cough.

Will reached an instant decision. "I'm taking her to the hospital wing at Hogwarts." He had seen Molly sick before, but never like this. He carefully picked her up, robe and blanket still tucked around her. "I'll bring back your robe later."

Jamie twisted her fingers together and followed him down the hall to the entrance hole. "What will you tell them?"

"I'll come up with something," Will said.

Jamie grabbed the invisibility cloak. "Here, you'd best not forget this." She draped it over them, then pulled open the plank of wood covering the entrance.

Will hurried through the tunnel, out past the Whomping Willow, and to the castle. All the while, Molly was limp in his arms, her breathing harsh and raspy in his ear. It sounded like something was rattling in her chest. When he reached the hospital wing, he pulled off the invisibility cloak and tucked it into his robes. He took a deep breath, then pushed open the door to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey immediately came scurrying out of her office. "What is it this..." her voice trailed off when she caught sight of Will and the bundle in his arms. "Mr. Warren! What in the world is going on? Who is this?"

Will carefully laid Molly on the nearest beds. "This is my sister. She's very sick; can you help her?" he asked anxiously.

Madam Pomfrey touched Molly's throat, then pressed her ear against her chest. She moved to grab several instruments, talking as she worked. "I will do my best, Mr. Warren, but what is your sister doing here? She can't be more than-"

"-three," Will sighed. "Please, Madam Pomfrey...I can't explain..."

Madam Pomfrey set a metal instrument against Molly's chest, and several moments later said, "As I suspected. This child has pneumonia."

"You can help her, can't you?"

"Yes, Mr. Warren, I can. Please sit down; you won't do her any good hanging over my shoulder like that."

Will obediently sat on a stool beside Molly's bed. Madam Pomfrey dug a bottle out of a cupboard, measured out some violent green potion, and poured it down Molly's throat. Molly choked and swallowed, and a shiver ran through her body.

"How long will she have to be here?" Will asked.

Madam Pomfrey looked at him disapprovingly. "She will be here as long as she needs to be here," she said sternly. "And I will not release her until I know exactly what is going on. Where are your parents?"

Oh, they're probably snogging up in Gryffindor Tower, Will thought desperately. "That's...complicated."

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "I'm going to call Professor Dumbledore. Sit down and stay put."

"Poppy, if you would please give me a moment with William, I would appreciate it."

"But Albus-"

"Please, Poppy."

With a huffy sigh, Madam Pomfrey retreated to her office. Professor Dumbledore came to sit on a chair beside Molly's bed, opposite of Will.

"Professor Dumbledore, I..." Will began, but he wasn't sure what to say.

Dumbledore looked down at Molly. She already had color returning to her cheeks, and her breathing wasn't as raspy. "I hadn't realized you had a sister," Dumbledore said. "When I received your names as potential students at Hogwarts, her name wasn't included, as she is not of proper schooling age yet." He gazed down at Molly. "She's a lovely child. Quite obviously a Weasley. What is her name?"

"Molly," Will said quietly.

Dumbledore looked up, interest in his blue eyes. "Molly," he repeated. "And William. I see. And may I ask what Molly has been doing in these weeks you have been at Hogwarts?"

"She's been staying nearby, with Jamie Potter," Will replied. "Jamie was...well, too recognizable to come to Hogwarts."

"I see," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "And what are you going to do with young Molly once she is out of the hospital wing?"

Will looked down uncomfortably. "Well...she'll go back to stay with Jamie." Of course, they needed somewhere else for Jamie and Molly to stay. "They're not staying in the best place right now," he admitted.

"I see," Dumbledore said again. "I might be able to help you with that, if you think Ms. Potter would acquiesce to a meeting."

Will wasn't sure what to say. Should he accept help from Dumbledore? "Why do you want to help?" he asked. "I already messed up your undercover plan with Tonks."

"Ah, yes, but you must realize, William. When we had our conversation several days ago, you knew that Nymphadora and I were the only two people who knew she was working as a double agent. I realized immediately that if you thought she was a spy, then in your time, I must not have ever been around to tell otherwise-or if I was around, my word counted for nothing, or perhaps I was unable to communicaite."

Will had, in fact, not realized that Dumbledore would see this, although looking back at it, he knew he should have realized. It was then he made a quick decision-he would tell Dumbledore the reason they had come back. Jamie had wanted to, and he didn't know what Shay would say when he found out Will had told, but he was going to risk it. He didn't know if it would help or if it would harm, but they were going to have to take some risks on this mission, and if this was one of them, so be it. "You died," Will said quietly. "Or rather...you were murdered." He sighed, looking at the ground. "That is what we came back in time to prevent."

Dumbledore studied him a long moment. "I suspected as much. You believed that Nymphadora was responsible for my death."

"Yes, sir." He struggled with how much to tell Dumbledore, and then said, "You were found murdered in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, and Tonks was gone. No one ever knew what happened to her; they just thought she'd killed you and run off with Voldemort. And no one knows how you died. When the Ministry officials took your body away to St. Mungo's to find the cause of death, they never arrived at the hospital. The Ministry officials were found dead in the middle of London, and your body was missing."

"I see," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. He was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "Well, that puts you in a fine position, doesn't it?"

Will looked up into Dumbledore's grave face. "Sir?"

"Well, I can only imagine being in your position. You traveled back in time to reveal Nymphadora as a spy for Voldemort and hoped to prevent her from murdering me, and now you have learned that she was not a spy for Voldemort and did not murder me. If I am correct, you now have no idea who it was that killed me." He was talking in a very calm voice for someone who was discussing his own murder.

Will nodded miserably. "You're correct," he sighed, eyes on the ground again. "And we've changed things in this time already...major things and little things."

"So you now have no idea how events will take place," Dumbledore stated. When Will glanced back up at him, he saw a kind smile on the headmaster's face.

"Or even what events will take place!" Will was strangely relieved to be telling Dumbledore this; just the thought of the wise old teacher knowing that he was clueless as to what to do next relieved some of his anxieties. "We know that in the original timeline, we never returned to this time. But now that we've come back, we've created a whole new timeline, and we have to make sure it doesn't end up going the same way as the original one."

"Your future must have been very dire indeed, to risk coming back, to risk breaking the wizarding laws and meddling with time," Dumbledore said gently.

"You have no idea," Will whispered. "We can't let that future happen, Professor. We can't. And that...that means you have to live."

Dumbledore folded his hands on his lap and studied Will over his spectacles.

"I know that...that we don't know what's going to happen now," Will continued. "But...if it's all right...we'd still like to stay here."

"Why wouldn't you stay here?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Because...like you said, we're meddling in time. What if we mess something up terribly?"

"And as you said, William-you've already changed your future. You're here, in this time, and you should know one of the fundamental rules of time-travel-it is impossible to travel into the future. Why is that?"

"Because there are different possibilities," Will replied instantly. "You can't travel into the future because..." His eyes widened as the truth of the words really struck home. "Because the future isn't written."

"Exactly. Every little thing that anyone does changes the future, shapes it. Yes, in this new timeline that you have created, I might still die, but I have a better chance of preventing it because I know of it. You may have glimpses of the future, Mr. Weasley, but you can no longer say that you know the future. You no longer know which events might still happen, or will not happen because of your presence here. You will always have your past-the time you grew up in-but what will really be shaped is yet to be determined. You, and Seamus Longbottom, and Jamie Potter, and your sister-you're part of this time now. You are going to have to make choices the rest of your lives, and your choices are going to shape the future." Dumbledore smiled again. "You are now in the same place as all of the rest of us-doing our best to make our way in this world, and trying to make it a world worth living in." He leaned back in his chair. "Now, then. Do you think Ms. Potter would agree to a meeting?"

Jamie was thrilled with the idea of leaving the Shrieking Shack and meeting with Dumbledore. She and Will shared the invisibility cloak until they were just outside the hospital wing, and then Will slipped out from under it and opened the door. He was surprised to see that Professor McGonagall had arrived, and was standing at the end of Molly's bed, talking to Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey was spooning more green liquid down Molly's throat.

Shay was also there, as Will had requested. He was sitting on the end of Molly's bed and looking decidedly perturbed, and more than a little confused.

When Dumbledore saw Will, he said, "Poppy, if you would please excuse us for another moment..."

"Albus, I-" Seeing the look on Dumbledore's face, Madam Pomfrey heaved a huge sigh. "Honestly!" she grumbled, retreating once more to her office. "Is this my hospital or not? How can I be expected to take care of patients when I'm constantly shuttled into my office?" Still grumbling, she shut the office door a bit harder than necessary.

When she was gone, Dumbledore stood to his feet and said, "You may take that off now, Ms. Potter."

Startled, Shay said, "What?"

Jamie pulled off the invisibility cloak. Professor McGonagall gave a startled gasp, and Dumbledore's eyebrows rose. "Ah. I see what William meant when he said you were too recognizable to come to Hogwarts," he said.

"Jamie, what are you doing?" Shay hissed. "Will? Would someone please tell me what's going on?"

Professor McGonagall shook her head. "There can be no mistaking it now," she told Professor Dumbledore. "You are Harry Potter's child," she stated, looking at Jamie. "And you-" she nodded at Will. "Are Ronald Weasley's and Hermione Granger's."

Will blinked. "Um..." He and Jamie exchanged glances, and then they both nodded.

McGonagall studied Shay for a moment. "I assume your father was Neville Longbottom, though you don't look a thing like him."

Shay stared at her, then at Will and Jamie in disbelief. "Um, hello? I'm still waiting for an answer!"

An amused smile played on the corners of Dumbledore's mouth, but he simply said, "Yes, Mr. Longbottom. I have a proposition for Ms. Potter and your young friend Molly."

"Oh, really?" Shay said skeptically.

Jamie tilted her head sideways. "And what's that?"

"I would like to offer you and little Molly Weasley a place to stay while William and Seamus attend Hogwarts. I would very much like to have you at Hogwarts, but I'm afraid too many questions would be raised at this point, unless you were in disguise."

Jamie nodded her agreement. "Voldemort has too many eyes at Hogwarts," she stated. "Until we know things are safe, I'm afraid I'll have to sit it out."

"There is currently a member of the Order who is visiting Hogwarts, but will soon be returning to the Order's headquarters. With your agreement, I would like to ask him to accompany you to Arthur and Molly Weasley. I believe they would be very happy to take you in. They are currently at the Burrow, though they sometimes travel to the Order's headquarters. Molly mainly holds down the fort, and I'm sure she would be thrilled to watch over the two of you."

"Wait, wait, wait." Shay held up his hands. "We can't have people knowing we're from the future. What if..." he trailed off, not quite sure where to go with the 'what if.'

"Allow me to reiterate what I was telling your young friend William earlier," Dumbledore said. He proceeded to tell Shay and Jamie the same thing he had told Will about the future not being written, and how people were going to find out about them sooner or later.

Shay crossed his arms. "Yes, but what about Voldemort? It may be true that the future has changed-it may be true that we can tell others who we are, but we still have tobe careful. If Voldemort learns who we are...well, he won't know that the future has changed. He won't know that we can't tell him anything for certain. Who knows what he-or one of his lackeys-might try to do to get information from us?"

Will realized where he was going with this, and nodded. "Our information might not be certain, but they could still learn things from us that would help their cause. We know several spells from the future that they don't have now, and it could cause a lot of damage."

"I understand this, and I understand that caution is called for. Right now, there are only two of us who know you are from the future-myself, and Professor McGonagall. There is a member of the Order who works in the Regulation and Control of Time-Travel who was alerted to the unauthorized use of a Time-Turner, but he doesn't know who you are." Dumbledore studied them thoughtfully. "I will tell you this: if you are to remain in this time for the rest of your lives, people are going to find out. It can be kept quiet, but eventually, some people will know.

"Now, if Jamie and Molly agree to go stay with Arthur and Molly, they will have to be told that you are from the future-Ms. Potter's resemblance to Harry, and young Molly's resemblance to the Weasley children is quite obvious. It will be up to you, however, to decide how much you want to tell them." Dumbledore smiled kindly. To Shay, who still looked very suspicious of the whole idea, he said, "We will do our best to keep your identities safe."

Will sighed. "What about our parents?"

"What about them?" McGonagall asked.

"Well...if Jamie and Molly go to stay with our grandparents, won't our parents find out about it?"

"There is a great probability of it," Dumbledore replied. "But that is sure to happen eventually anyway. Or did you believe you could live out the remainder of your lives here without your parents ever learning who you are?"

Will, Jamie, and Shay exchanged glances. "Well...we...yes. We know that things will change...we know that we might not be born in this time, but...well, we didn't want to mess up their relationships if we could help it," Will sighed, feeling this explanation was quite lame.

"I understand that," Dumbledore said gently. "It is every child's dream to know that their parents are together. And you might have succeeded in this, if you never came to Hogwarts, or if you came to Hogwarts for a short time and disappeared. But surely you must realize that if you stay here, whether you tell them or not, your parents will put the pieces together. Your mother especially-" he smiled at Will "-has a knack for putting mysteries together." His eyes fell on Jamie and Shay. "I'm curious, though-who were your mothers?"

Shay's eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. "She doesn't go to Hogwarts," was all he said.

Jamie looked at Shay for a moment, and then at Dumbledore. "My mum was Ginny Potter...well, Weasley, in this time."

McGonagall's eyebrows rose, but Dumbledore merely smiled. "I see. Well, then, I very seriously doubt that Arthur and Molly Weasley will turn down the chance to take intwo of their grandchildren." He tilted his head slightly. "We will not, of course, tell your parents who you really are. That is something that you will have to do in your own time-when you are ready to do it. Or perhaps when they are ready to see it. Now, Ms. Potter-do you agree to staying with Arthur and Molly Weasley?"

Jamie met first Shay's eyes, then Will's, and slowly nodded. "Yes...yes, I will."

Will looked down at his sleeping sister. He felt oddly like he was sending away part of himself. They had never been separated for longer than a few days. I know she'll be safe there. And warmer, and she'll be loved, and taken care of...and Jamie will be with her. It will be good for Jamie, too.

"All right, then. Ms. Potter, if you would please put on that wonderful cloak and follow me, we'll contact the Weasleys and explain things to them. Mr. Longbottom, I think it would be best if you head back to your dormitory for now. Minerva, if you would be so kind as to ask Lupin to meet me in my office..."

Jamie was busy donning her invisibility cloak and didn't hear Dumbledore's request to Professor McGonagall, who nodded, gliding from the hospital wing. Shay muttered, "We'll talk later," to Will, and left as well. Before Dumbledore and Jamie left, the headmaster knocked on Madam Pomfrey's office. The door swung open, revealing a disgruntled Madam Pomfrey. "I'm leaving your patient in your capable hands," he told her. "Her brother may stay with her tonight, if he wishes, and I will be here in the morning to check on her."

"Albus, I have a great many questions-"

"They will have to wait, I'm afraid, Poppy. When will young Molly be ready to leave the hospital wing?"

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Probably by tomorrow afternoon, but I would really feel more comfortable if she stayed a bit longer."

"Thank you, Poppy." Dumbledore left the hospital wing, holding the door open until he was certain Jamie was through it.

So many things, Will thought. So many things that we didn't want to happen are happening...but maybe...maybe it will be a good thing... The thought of his grandparents finding out who his identity was terrifying to him-he, Shay, and Jamie had drilled into themselves for so long that no one from this time could learn who they were. That, however, had been under the assumption that they would come in, fix everything quickly, and disappear from the wizarding world.

They should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

It seemed ironic that just two days ago, Shay had been saying that they didn't need the whole world to know that they were from the future, and that they didn't want to change everything. They had changed everything, or at least the possibility of everything.

Even more terrifying was the thought of his parents learning who he was. How awkward would that be for them? True, it didn't really matter to his life now if he was born in this time...but what if his parents learned who he was, and were so weirded out by it that they never broke up? They had just started dating, after all. The thought that hecould be the cause of his parents' staying apart was unbearable to him. Dumbledore had been right. It was every child's dream to know that their parents were together.

Ease up, Will...Ron and Hermione don't know who you are yet. You have some time before you have to climb into that boat.

Jamie stood nervously in Dumbledore's office. She was torn between several different emotions-excited that she was finally going to be out of the Shrieking Shack, nervous about what her grandparents were going to say, or even think, and amusement at seeing Dumbledore kneeling on the ground with his head thrust in the fire.

It was several long minutes before Dumbledore pulled his head back out of the fire and stood up. "I spoke with Molly, and she said she and Arthur will be more than happy to have you and young Molly come stay with them."

Jamie swallowed. I'm really going to get to live with them! "Thank you," she said quietly. "If...if you don't mind, I'm going to go back to the place Molly and I have been staying and get our things together."

"I don't mind at all. When you're finished-" Dumbledore was cut off when a knock sounded on his door. "One moment, Ms. Potter." Stepping over to the door, he opened it and smiled. "Ah, Remus. Please, come in."

Jamie's breath caught in her throat, and her eyes widened as Remus Lupin stepped into the office. He was a lot younger than Jamie remembered him, and he didn't look like he shouldered nearly as much weight in this time as he had in the future. His hair was less gray, and there weren't as many lines on his face, but it was still, without a doubt,Remus Lupin.

Jamie resisted the urge to burst into tears and throw herself at the poor man. He doesn't know you. He doesn't remember...

He may not have known her, but when his eyes landed on her, they widened in shock. Jamie could hear his sharp intake of breath. "Dumbledore...who...who is this?"

Dumbledore motioned Jamie forward, but she felt as if her feet were locked to the floor, and she had to force them to move. "Remus, I would like you to meet Harry's daughter, Jamie Potter. Jamie, this is-"

"Remus Lupin. I know." To her horror, Jamie felt tears sliding down her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away.

Remus looked flabbergasted. "Harry's daughter? Dumbledore, what on-"

"She is from the future, Remus. I need you to accompany her and another child to Arthur and Molly tomorrow, if you would."

Remus nodded numbly. "Of course...but...the future?"

"It's quite a long story, and one of which I only know little bits. I will let Jamie tell it to you, if she so wishes. Right now, though, I believe she has some belongings to collect."

Jamie jumped. "Oh...right..."

"When you have collected them, Minerva will meet you in the entrance hall and give you somewhere to sleep tonight," Dumbledore told her.

"Thank you," Jamie said quietly. She finally peeled her eyes away from Remus and hurried out the door to Dumbledore's office, afraid if she stayed there any longer she really was going to break down. Once outside, she closed her eyes and leaned against the door. You can do this, Jamie. You can do this.

She pushed herself away from the door and made her way downstairs. Now if she could just find her way out of the castle without getting too lost...

As she made her way through the castle, taking wrong turns and backtracking, she thought she sensed someone following her, but when she turned to look, there was no one there. She figured she was just so rattled from seeing Remus. The further away from Dumbledore's office she got, the calmer she felt.

Out of all the people Dumbledore would choose to take Molly and I to the Weasleys, it would be him, she thought ruefully.

Chapter Fourteen ~ Of Potters and Weasleys

On Tuesday evening, Harry sat at a table in the back corner of the Gryffindor common room with Ginny and Hermione. The Quidditch team had just finished another long practice, and he still had homework to do. Ginny was once again overloaded with homework, and Hermione was helping her sort through it all.

After a while, Ron came and sank down beside Hermione, smiling at her as he did so. Harry refrained from rolling his eyes. He really was happy for his best friends, but he was still a bit disconcerted by seeing them like this. Yes, they still picked at each other, but he was sure that was just a permanent part of their relationship. He just couldn't help feeling like the third wheel sometimes, even though they made a point not to leave him out of stuff.

Ron whispered something in Hermione's ear, and she laughed and pushed him. "Ron!...Hey, aren't you supposed to have corridor duties tonight?"

Ron looked at his watch. "Oh! Yeah." He sighed heavily. "But I really don't feel like it."

"Ron, you are a prefect. You have to do it."

"Yes, but really-who cares who's out wandering the halls after curfew?"

"You should," Hermione told him primly.

Ron sighed again, and then brightened. "Hey, I know! Harry, can I borrow the Marauder's Map? Then I can see who's out and about in the comfort of the common room."

"Ron!" Hermione exclaimed.

Not wanting to get in the middle of any quarrel that might ensue, Harry said, "Um, sure." He jumped to his feet. Ginny gave him a sympathetic wink over her shoulder, which made Harry feel a little better. He hurried up to the dormitory, where Neville was caring for his Mimbulus mimbletonia. The plant was positively huge, and Harry wondered if it would soon creep across the entire dormitory and tangle up the boys while they were sleeping. It was also prone to spitting out bits of stinksap on occasion, which wasn't a pleasant thing to smell upon walking into the room. Dean had recently had the misfortune of slipping on a great pile of the gunk just before bed the other night.

Snatching the Marauder's Map from the trunk, Harry brought it back downstairs. It had been well over a year since he had used it, before he let the fake Professor Moody borrow it. At the end of his Fourth Year, he had gotten it back, but in the midst of seeing Voldemort return and Cedric die, he hadn't paid much heed to its return. He handed the map to Ron as he settled back at the table.

Ron bent over the map and whispered, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I always thought that was the most horrid phrase to activate any map."

Ron's eyes roved over the map. "Not much activity in the hallways...Filch is prowling around on the fifth floor...Mrs. Norris is near the Great Hall...Peeves is bouncing around in the kitchens-"

"Peeves! Probably scaring the poor house-elves to death!" Hermione said indignantly.

"And...what in the..." Ron squinted at the map.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, looking up from her homework.

"Um...look." Ron turned the map so they all could see it, and pointed to a name moving along the dungeons. Seamus Longbottom.

"Longbottom?" Hermione hissed. "But Neville's the only Longbottom in school!"

The four of them watched as Seamus Longbottom entered the Slytherin dormitory, and his name was lost amid the sea of other Slytherin names.

It was Ginny that noticed something else. "Um, if you think that's weird, look at this." Her finger rested on Dumbledore's office. Inside were three names. Albus Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, and...

Harry's heart leapt, and he blinked. No, it wasn't James Potter...it was Jamie Potter. Baffled, he looked up at his three friends. "Jamie Potter?" Sure, the name Potter wasn't all that uncommon, but Harry was definitely the only Potter in Hogwarts. And Jamie Potter? Wasn't that a bit too coincidental? And he still didn't understand why they had seen Seamus Longbottom.

"Look! It's Malfoy!" Ron said. He pointed to the name that was just outside of Dumbledore's office. "He's not moving at all...Maybe he has corridor duty tonight, too."

Hermione shook her head firmly. "I checked the schedule. He doesn't have it till Thursday."

Four pairs of eyes locked on the map. They watched as Jamie Potter left Dumbledore's office and headed down the hallway, followed at a discreet distance by Draco Malfoy. Jamie Potter headed down a corridor, and then stopped and turned around, walking back the other way. Draco Malfoy was moving, then stopping, then moving again, but he was definitely tailing Jamie Potter. After a minute or two of closely watching the map, it became apparent that Jamie Potter-whoever he or she was-was having trouble getting out of the castle.

"Whoever Jamie Potter is, Dumbledore knows him-or her," Ginny said.

"And Draco's definitely up to something," Hermione added.

"Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go check it out!" Ron said, jumping to his feet.

"Right." Ginny stood up.

"Not you, Ginny, you-"

Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother. "Honestly, Ron, I thought you would have learned by now."

"Wait. Ron and I can go out in the corridors-we're prefects. You two, on the other hand..."

"My cloak," Harry said immediately. "I can use it and follow you two."

"We can use it," Ginny told him pointedly.

By this point, Harry had learned it was pretty much useless to argue with Ginny Weasley, and he didn't want to waste time. He nodded quickly, then ran to his dormitory to get the cloak. Neville looked up, startled, as Harry threw things out of his trunk and onto his bed. "Something wrong, Harry?"

There it was. Yanking the cloak out, Harry shook his head. "No, nothing Neville."

Ginny, Ron, and Hermione were waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs, just out of sight of the common room. "C'mon, Ginny." Harry motioned her over, and as soon as she was close enough, threw the cloak over both of them.

"Wizard," Ginny whispered as her body disappeared. She grabbed hold of Harry's arm so she wouldn't trip over him, as she was unable to see him.

With Ron and Hermione in the lead with the map, the four of them left Gryffindor Tower with no one the wiser.

"I think they're headed for the entrance hall," Hermione said. "Yes, they are."

They raced down corridors and stairs as quickly as they could. When they reached the steps that led down to the entrance hall, they stopped, peering down into the empty room. Hermione glanced at the map. "They're already outside. Malfoy's hiding by Hagrid's hut...Jamie Potter is...entering the passage underneath the Whomping Willow. You two can take off the cloak. No one's around."

Harry pulled it off, tucking it into his robes, and the four of them continued out onto the grounds. Hermione looked back down at the map. "Jamie Potter has disappeared, and Malfoy's nearing the Whomping Willow."

They quickly crossed the lawn, and were just in time to see Malfoy disappear into the still branches of the Whomping Willow. By the time they reached the Whomping Willow, it was moving again. Harry grabbed a long stick and jabbed the knot that froze the tree. "Come on!"

Harry entered the passage first, followed by Ginny and Ron, with Hermione bringing up the rear. They were just reaching the end of the tunnel when a girl's voice cried,"Stupefy!" Through the hole at the end of the tunnel, Harry saw the back of someone with black hair. He quickly pointed his wand and said, "Stupefy!"

The person who Harry had Stunned fell to the ground. He quickly exited the tunnel, followed by his three friends. They all stepped over the black-haired person, who was face-down on the floor. Draco Malfoy was spread-eagle on the ground nearby.

"They won't be Stunned for long," Hermione said. She stooped to pick up Draco and the black-haired girl's wands, while Harry knelt beside the girl on the floor with some trepidation. He had an unsettling feeling that his life was about to get turned upside down. Taking a deep breath, he rolled the girl over and stared at her face, stunned.

Ginny and Ron gasped. Hermione, tucking the wands into her robe, stepped over and looked down at the girl. "Oh, Harry..." she whispered. She knelt opposite of him, on the other side of the girl.

"Jamie Potter," Ginny whispered. "She looks just like you, Harry."

"She's obviously related to you, Harry, but the question is...how?" Ron said darkly.

"Let's find out." Hermione pointed her wand at the girl. "Ennervate."

Jamie Potter's eyes-green eyes, ones that Harry was used to seeing on his own face-slowly opened. She gasped, groping around for her wand.

"We have it," Hermione told her.

"Wh-who..." Jamie focused on the four faces in front of her, and her eyes grew huge. "No. Way," she breathed, quickly sitting up.

To Harry's great surprise, Jamie Potter's eyes filled with tears that spilled down her cheeks. "Oh, this can't be happening," the girl whispered fiercely. "I am so stupid!" She looked around frantically, and her eyes landed on Draco Malfoy. "My wand!"

"I told you, we have it," Hermione repeated calmly.

"No...you don't understand...I left my cloak in Dumbledore's office...he must have followed me..." Jamie babbled, nodding at Draco. She seemed thoroughly shaken, and tears were still running down her face. "He can't remember seeing me. I have to do a Memory Charm on him."

"Now, wait just a minute," Harry spoke up. "While I completely sympathize with wanting to curse Draco Malfoy, we need to find out who in the world you are first."

"Yes," Ginny agreed. "And how Malfoy knew to follow you."

"And how you knew about the Whomping Willow entrance," Ron put in.

"How...how did you find me? Did you follow Draco?" Jamie asked. She got a hold of herself and wiped the tears off of her cheeks.

"No. We saw you on a map," Hermione replied.

Jamie closed her eyes for a moment. "The Marauder's Map. Oh, we're so stupid!"

She knew what the map was. How interesting. "We?" Harry raised his eyebrows. Jamie didn't look inclined to say anything, so he sighed. "Look, we already know your name is Jamie Potter. What we want to know is how you share my last name, and why..." He stared into her eyes, unsettled.

"Why you look so much like Harry," Ginny concluded for him.

"I...um..." Jamie looked down at her hands.

"And maybe you can tell us why the map showed a Seamus Longbottom," Hermione said. She set the map on the floor and smoothed it out. "You see?" She pointed to the castle. "There is Seamus Longbottom, in the Slytherin common room. You can barely make out his name, because the room is so crowded, but it's there." Her gaze fell on something else, and she frowned. "Ron, Ginny, what are your mum and brother doing in the hospital wing?"

"What?" Ron leaned forward and peered at the map. "Hey! They never told me they were coming!"

Jamie sighed heavily. "That's not your mum and brother," she said quietly. Now that she seemed to have gotten a grip on herself, Harry noticed that she kept shooting furtive glances at the four of them-more particularly, at him and Ginny.

Ginny looked at her suspiciously. "How do you know? It says, right here-Molly Weasley and William Weasley."

"Wait..." Hermione said, her eyes narrowed. She had a look Harry knew quite well-one that said she was running things over in her mind and pieces of a puzzle were falling into place. "You said you have a cloak that you left in Dumbledore's office. It wouldn't happen to be an invisibility cloak, would it?"

Jamie bit her lip. "Um..."

"It is," Hermione concluded, propping her elbow on her knee and resting her chin on her hand. "And...Ron, you found out your Gourl was missing on Monday morning. On Saturday evening, Ginny and I saw the portrait hole open, but no one went in or out...I thought Harry was using his father's cloak."

Harry remembered Hermione asking him at breakfast on Sunday morning if he had used it.

Hermione tapped her fingers on her cheek, still thinking, and then her eyes widened. "Long," she whispered. She stared at the map, then at Jamie. "Shay Long. Seamus Longbottom...they're the same person, aren't they?"

Jamie returned her stare for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes."

"And he came to school with Will Warren..." Ginny said. She frowned. "Will told me that he has a little sister. Her name wouldn't happen to be Molly, would it?"

Harry saw where this was going, and he felt chilled.

Jamie twisted her fingers together in her lap. "Look, I might not be the best one to explain this."

"Wait," Ron held up his hands, looking baffled. "You haven't been going to Hogwarts," he told Jamie.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron! Look at her! Do you know what would happen if she was at Hogwarts? Something's going on here that they want to keep secret."

"Have you been staying here in the Shrieking Shack?" Hermione asked.

Jamie nodded silently.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder at Draco. "Malfoy followed you, though. What were you doing in the school?"

"That's a long story, and it's not all mine to tell," Jamie said firmly. "I..." she faltered. "I don't know how he knew I was in the school, though," she said, nodding to Malfoy.

"He's been stirring up a lot of trouble in Slytherin lately," Ron snorted.

"Slytherin," Hermione whispered. "Wait! We saw Seamus-Shay, whatever-going through the dungeons and into the Slytherin House. Then we saw Malfoy waiting for you outside of Dumbledore's office. Could Malfoy have followed Shay out of the Slytherin House, and then followed you? Did you meet with Shay in the school?" she asked Jamie.

"In the hospital wing," Jamie replied. Her green eyes widened. "If Draco did follow him...who knows what he might have overheard? He can't be allowed to remember it!"

"Right. Then first, we need to take care of Malfoy," Hermione said, standing to her feet.

Harry knew there were still big pieces of this puzzle missing, but Hermione was right-Malfoy didn't need to know any of this.

He stepped over to Malfoy with Hermione, who pointed her wand at Malfoy. "Ennervate."

Malfoy groaned and opened his eyes. He saw Harry and Hermione and immediately groped for his wand.

"Don't bother. I have it," she snapped.

"Filthy little Mudblood," Draco spat at her, standing to his feet. "So you're in on this too, eh? Think you can hide your precious future children from the Dark Lord?" He glared over their shoulders at Ron, Ginny, and Jamie. "Oh, he'll find out about this once I-" He cut himself off.

"You followed Shay, didn't you?" Hermione demanded.

Malfoy shrugged. "He had it coming to him. Thinking he's better than everyone else."

"So you heard what was said in the hospital wing," Jamie spoke up, coming to stand beside Hermione.

Malfoy took a step toward her and thrust his finger at her warningly. "I heard enough. And you're a filthy half-blood. Potters and Weasleys-should have known they'd intermingle. Can't say they produced anything worthwhile, though," he said, looking her up and down scathingly.

Harry was just processing the fact that he had mentioned Potters and Weasleys intermingling when Jamie pulled back her fist and punched Malfoy in the nose. He put his fingers to his face, feeling the blood that ran from his nose. Without a word, he lunged for Jamie.

"Stupefy!" Hermione cried. Malfoy immediately dropped to the floor. "Mobilicorpus." Malfoy's body lifted off the ground. "I'll take him through the passage and modify his memory so he won't remember following Shay, or any of this. Then we'll talk."

Jamie settled against the wall, crossing her arms tightly against her chest. Ron shook his head. "This is nutters," he muttered. He remained standing, but leaned against the wall.

Harry and Ginny exchanged glances. Harry's mind was whirling as he thought about what all of this could mean. He kept thinking about what Malfoy had said-"Potters and Weasleys-should have known they'd intermingle."

What, exactly, had that meant? Jamie was obviously related to him...could she be from the future? And if she was, what did it mean? If she was his granddaughter or something, then sure, maybe Harry's kid and one of the Weasley's married. But Malfoy had said 'future children.' If Jamie was Harry's daughter...well, the only Weasley he could 'intermingle' with was Ginny.

That thought made him feel a bit queasy. Ginny was a good friend, yes...he finally felt like after being in her acquaintance for five years, he was starting to get to know her. She had a lot in common with him...and she was fun, honest, loyal, and had a lot of spunk...but the thought that they could have a daughter together was something else entirely.

Ginny was obviously thinking along the same lines, because when she looked at him, she had an extremely odd, disconcerted look on her face. She quickly turned her back on him and sat cross-legged on the floor.

Hermione returned and settled herself next to Ginny. "All set. Malfoy'll wake up on the lawn near Hagrid's cabin and think he lost in a late-night wizarding duel."

As soon as she was situated, Ginny spoke. "Now that we're the only ones here right now, why don't you start at the beginning. Starting with exactly who you are and howyou're related to Harry. And let's not forget that part that Malfoy mentioned-about Potters and Weasleys intermingling. You're from the future, aren't you?" She wore a strange, determined look on her face.

"I told you-this isn't just my story to tell," Jamie repeated.

"It's Will's and Shay's, too." Hermione said.

"Yes," Jamie replied quietly.

"Look, I'm not going anywhere until I know exactly what is going on," Harry told Jamie severely.

A stubborn look came over Jamie's face, and Harry was even more discomforted. He had seen that look in the mirror on his own face. She shook her head. "I won't talk without Will and Shay. And Professor McGonagall is expecting me...she's probably waiting in the entrance hall already."

Hermione pulled out the map again. "Yes, she is. So she knows who you are? What exactly did Malfoy overhear in the hospital wing?"

"He heard us talking to Dumbledore and McGonagall," Jamie said. "And yes, they know who we are."

Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny exchanged glances. "Well, then," Ginny said, standing to her feet, her expression a stubborn as Jamie's. "Why don't we go meet with McGonagall?"

"Gin, she'll give us detention for being out here!" Ron exclaimed.

"I don't think so," Ginny stated. "Not if this has something to do with us." She waved Jamie to her feet. "Come on. We're going to get to the bottom of this, and if you won't talk without Will and Shay-well, we'll get Will and Shay."

"I-" Jamie opened her mouth to argue, and then sighed. "I have to get some things first."

"I'll come with you," Ginny said.

"So will I." Hermione stood to her feet. They followed Jamie out of the room. When they were gone, Harry and Ron looked at each other. "What do you make of it, mate?" Ron asked.

"I don't know."

"This is just bogus," Ron shook his head. "Do you...do you think she's really your kid?"

"I don't know," Harry repeated sharply.

"And what about Will and Shay? If Shay's related to Neville, he sure doesn't look it. And Will..."

Yes, Will. Harry and Ron had been sharing a dormitory with him for three weeks now. Harry remembered thinking that Will looked familiar to him, but hadn't been able to place it. Now he really thought about it-thought about him being a Weasley...he sure didn't have the Weasley hair...but neither did Jamie, if she really was part Weasley.

Harry shook his head. He didn't want to think about it anymore. Not yet. He needed to process all of this first.

Hermione, Ginny, and Jamie came back into the room. Jamie carried a makeshift bag, but it didn't look like there were many things in it. "Ready," she said resignedly.

Hermione checked the map to make sure Malfoy had gone. "Malfoy and Professor McGonagall are in the entrance hall. Looks like he was caught...all right, now he's headed for the dungeons. Let's go."

They crossed the grounds, keeping a close eye on Jamie to make sure she didn't try anything. Even without a wand, it seemed she wasn't defenseless, if the punch to Malfoy was any indication.

Professor McGonagall was standing in the entrance hall when they entered, and her forehead pinched into a severe frown. "Not you, too!"

They stepped aside to reveal Jamie. Professor McGonagall's expression cleared. "I see," she said in a calmer voice.

"This is Jamie Potter, Professor," Hermione said. "She said she knows you."

"She does."

"She also said she wouldn't give us any answers to our questions unless Will Weasley and Shay Longbottom are present."

If Professor McGonagall thought anything of Hermione using Will and Shay's proper last names, she didn't say anything.

"And we're not going to bed until we have some answers," Ginny said brazenly.

McGonagall's eyebrows snapped back together. "Ms. Weasley-"

"Please, Professor," Harry said tiredly. "We need to know."

McGonagall sighed. "All right. I want you to go upstairs and wait in my classroom. I will send Will and Shay along and inform Professor Dumbledore what is going on. Ms. Potter, when you are finished, come to my office-it's right beside the Transfiguration classroom."

They walked to the Transfiguration classroom in silence, and found seats among the desks. A short time later, Will Warren-no, Weasley, Harry reminded himself-entered the room. He looked around the classroom and blanched. "James?" he asked weakly.

Harry started at the nickname.

"Have a seat, Will," Jamie told him tiredly. "I'll explain what happened when Shay gets here."

Shay arrived a few minutes later. He froze when he saw everyone seated in chairs. "What's going on?" he asked tensely.

"We know you're from the future," Ginny declared.

Shay's eyes snapped to Jamie and Will. "They followed me," Jamie told him. "They saw my name on the Marauder's Map and followed me."

"The map!" Will said, startled. "I can't believe we didn't think of that...after all the times that we used it, we still didn't think about it."

"Actually," Hermione corrected, "We followed Malfoy following Jamie."

"What?" Shay snapped. "Jamie, how could Draco have followed you?"

Jamie twisted her fingers together. "I...um...forgot to put on my cloak...I left it in Dumbledore's office."

"You left it?" Shay asked in disbelief. "How could you-"

"I was distracted, Shay," Jamie snapped.

"What could possibly distract you that much? You know we have to be careful!"

"I met Remus," Jamie cut in.

Lupin? Harry thought. Of course, he was in Dumbledore's office, too...she knows Lupin, and she was so distracted by the meeting that she forgot the invisibility cloak. That was an interesting bit of information.

Shay looked startled, but then he shook his head. "It doesn't matter. If we were always making stupid mistakes-"

"I'm sorry, okay? It was an-"

"Hey!" Will held up his hands. "What's happened has happened," he told Shay and Jamie in a quiet voice. "Dumbledore was right. He said they would find out eventually." He nodded at Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Hermione. "I know we didn't expect it to be this soon, but it's happened, and we might as well face it."

Harry was struck by the similarities between Shay, Will, and Jamie and he, Ron, and Hermione. How many times had Ron and Hermione been fighting, and he stepped in to break it up?

"Look," Ron said. "We just want to know what's going on."

"We know you're from the future," Hermione repeated Ginny's earlier statement. "But we don't know when. We don't know quite how you're related to...well, to Harry, and the Weasleys, and Neville."

"I didn't tell them anything," Jamie maintained.

"Malfoy sure let some stuff slip, though," Ginny muttered. Before Shay could say anything, she said, "He overheard some conversation you guys had in the hospital wing. Don't worry, though-Hermione modified his memory."

Shay relaxed the tiniest bit. He crossed his arms and exchanged glances with Will and Jamie. None of them seemed to know quite where to start.

"Why don't we start with the fact that you're from the future?" Hermione began. "First of all, how is that possible? People are only able to travel back hours at a time, not years. And what could make you travel back in time? Don't you know there are wizarding laws for the strict use of time-travel? It's dangerous traveling back in time-what if you changed things? One of the first rules of time-travel is that you're not to be seen."

Will sighed. "We know. In this case, though-it didn't matter. We came back for the sole purpose of changing things. Our future is already messed up. Of course, no one was supposed to find out who we were," he said, sounding a bit melancholy. "And as for how...well, that was your doing," he told Hermione.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "My doing?"

"It's a long story," Jamie said.

"We can stay as long as we need to," Ginny replied determinedly. "I want to hear everything."

Chapter Fifteen ~ Future's Tale

"We don't have to tell you anything," Shay said sharply.

"Shay," Will sighed. "They deserve to know. Would you rather they know the truth, or get things confused by coming to their own conclusions?"

Shay pressed his lips tightly together and didn't answer.

"Right," Will said heavily. "Well..." He didn't seem sure where to start, either.

"All right, then. Here's a question: how are you related to us?" Ron motioned himself and Ginny. "And how is she related to Harry?" He gestured at Jamie.

"Harry's your father, isn't he?" Ginny asked, an odd note in her voice.

Jamie shot Harry a look and looked at the ground, nodding.

Harry's heart caught in his throat. No way. This isn't happening...I don't have a daughter! I can't have a daughter!

Ginny was still staring at her intently. "And your mother?" she asked quietly.

Jamie looked at her miserably, and then back at the ground.

"Potters and Weasleys-should have known they'd intermingle," Malfoy's voice rang through Harry's mind again.

Ginny took a deep breath and let it out. "That's what I thought. I'm...I'm your mother, aren't I?...oh, that sounds so odd to say!"

"You're her mother?" Ron laughed. "But that's..." he trailed off, silenced by the solemn looks of Will, Jamie, and Shay. He threaded his fingers through his hair, and peered at them from underneath his hands. "Harry and Ginny? I mean..." He shook his head, not saying exactly what he meant.

Harry had some idea what he must be thinking. "Potters and Weasleys..." Malfoy's voice echoed once more. Later, Harry, he told himself. Think about it later. Hear the whole story first.

"I...I don't know what to say." Ginny shook her head. "Except...how on earth did Harry and I get together?" She sounded almost indignant. "You know, for four years I had a crush on him! Four years I acted like a blithering idiot around him, and then last year, I finally got over it and got to be friends with him, and now this?" She looked around helplessly, and Harry felt as overwhelmed as she looked.

"And you?" Ron demanded of Will. "How are you a Weasley?"

"Don't you know?" It was Hermione who spoke this time, in a strangled voice. Ron gave her a puzzled look, and she said, "He's ours, Ron. Aren't you?" she asked Will.

"What?" Ron's head jerked toward Will. "But he...he can't be..."

That's why I thought Will looked so familiar...he's a combination of my two best friends! Harry thought, head spinning.

"I don't know why I didn't see it before...probably because it wasn't something I would have ever expected," Hermione said conversationally. "Look at him, Ron! He has my eyes. And my nose. But...your face, and your freckles...definitely not your hair, though." She suddenly giggled. "This cannot be happening."

Ginny and Jamie both looked at her, their eyebrows raised. The similarity between that expression struck Harry, and it must have had an impression on Hermione, because she giggled all the more. "This...is...insane!" she gasped, calming down. "Sorry...but it is." She took a deep breath. "And I suppose you're Neville Longbottom's son?" she asked of Shay.

Shay crossed his arms and said nothing.

"Shay," Jamie prodded.

Shay glared at her, but gave a sharp nod.

"And your mother?" Ginny asked.

Shay shook his head. "She doesn't go to Hogwarts," he told them.

"Yet," Jamie put in, staring hard at Shay.

"And that's part of the story of what happened in our future," Will said.

"All right, then. Let's have the story first, then," Hermione said, sounding much calmer.

"I don't think we should tell you," Shay said obstinately.

"Is it really going to matter now, Shay?" Jamie asked tiredly. "They're not going to tell anyone. And maybe they'll be able to help us."

"Help us how, Jamie? They couldn't help in the future; what makes you think now will be any different?" Shay snapped.

"Because now they're alive, Shay!" Jamie's voice rose.

Another piece of information. In the future, they were dead. Chills swept through Harry, and he closed his eyes, trying to get a grip on all of this.

"The truth, Shay, remember?" Will said quietly.

Harry opened his eyes, looking between the three time-travelers.

Shay stared hard at him for a moment, and then said huffily, "Fine!" He plunked himself down on one of the chairs and glared around the group.

"Right, then," Jamie began, taking a deep breath. "Well. It all started in the future-the end of this year, actually, when Dumbledore was murdered."

Shock ran through Harry. Dumbledore...dead? Hermione's mouth dropped open, and Ginny exclaimed, "What?"

Jamie proceeded to tell them about Tonks' disappearance, Dumbledore's death, and his body being stolen on route to St. Mungo's.

"Wait-you said no one knew how he died, and that's why he was being taken to St. Mungo's," Hermione broke in. "So how do you know he was murdered? How do you know he didn't just...have a heart attack or something?"

"Because he was cursed," Jamie said. "His body looked as if it had been burned from the inside. The Ministry officials who came to get him realized right away that he had been murdered; they just weren't sure how." She proceeded to tell of the discovery of the connections in the Gourl. When she spoke of the Gourl, Ron sat up straight, but said nothing. Jamie continued, telling of the belief that Tonks' had been a spy for Voldemort and had killed Dumbledore.

"Tonks, a spy and a murderer?" Hermione said in disbelief.

Harry was in like mind with her-he couldn't imagine Tonks working for Voldemort. Of course, he had never imagined Quirrell was being possessed by Voldemort...he had never imagined that Scabbers was an Animagus...he had never imagined the Fourth Year teacher Mad-Eye Moody was an imposter...he had never imagined a lot of things, and they had all happened, anyway.

"Well, she's not...but I'll get to that. Let me continue with what everyone believed," Jamie said. "After Dumbledore's death, everything started to go downhill. Voldemort got away with things he wouldn't have been able to otherwise. He had to get rid of Dumbledore, don't you see?

"Well, one of the first things that happened was the attack on Beauxbatons," Jamie continued. "Hogwarts was still somewhat safe, even with Dumbledore gone, so all of the Beauxbatons students were moved to Hogwarts and Sorted into the different Houses, including Shay's mother." Here, Jamie hesitated, and everyone turned to look at Shay, who sat with his lips pressed tightly together.

Harry had the distinct impression that Shay didn't like talking about his mother, and he didn't look pleased that the subject had come up. He glared at Jamie, who narrowed her own eyes in return. "They're not going to tell anyone, Shay," she said.

"That's not the point," Shay retorted. "I can protect myself. She can't properly defend herself-not in this time. She's too young."

Something unspoken was passing between the two, and Harry had the distinct impression there was something about Shay's mother, besides her identity, that Shay didn't want known. "Only the name," Shay finally said in a tight voice.

Jamie nodded in agreement. "Only the name," she agreed softly.

Yes, they were definitely hiding something about Shay's mother.

After a long moment, Shay sighed. "My mother was Gabrielle Delacour."

Ron's eyebrows went up. "Fleur's little sister? The girl that we met during the Triwizard Tournament? But she's..."

"Young," Will broke in. He took over the story. "She was just starting school when Beauxbatons was moved to Hogwarts. She was a First Year when Shay's father-Neville-was a Seventh Year. Now, everything was going crazy in your Seventh Year. People were panicking because Dumbledore was dead. Things went from bad to worse. The giants began attacking towns and cities-even Muggle cities. Dementors were on the loose. The prisoners in Azkaban escaped. Try as they might, the Ministry didn't have the power to cover it up anymore. Muggles began learning of things. At Hogwarts, you-" he nodded at Harry "-were determined. You knew you had to be one to destroy Voldemort. The prophecy-"

"What prophecy?" Hermione and Ginny asked together.

Harry sat straight in his chair. He hadn't told anyone about the prophecy...he hadn't wanted to talk to them about it...hadn't wanted them to know that one day, he would have to kill Voldemort, or Voldemort would have to kill him. That was something that he had to face. Not Ron, not Hermione, not Ginny.

All eyes were now fixed on him. "Harry?" Hermione asked.

It was Harry's turn to sigh. It looked like there was no way out of it. He was going to have to tell them. "The one that was destroyed in the Ministry," he said.

"But...you said..." Ron began.

"I said it was destroyed," Harry said firmly. "But...the prophecy was originally given to Dumbledore. He told me what it said."

"And you didn't tell us?" Hermione asked indignantly.

"I didn't want to!" he snapped.

"Why not?" Ginny asked quietly.

"Because it's none of your business!" Harry said loudly.

"Well, it is now," Shay retorted. "If you want the truth, anyway."

Harry turned his glare on Shay, who narrowed his own eyes in return. Harry took a deep breath and let it out. "Fine." Quickly, not wanting to dwell on it, he quoted the prophecy to them. He couldn't have forgotten it if he wanted to-the words were forever bored into his brain.

Everyone was silent, contemplating these words. "So you have to kill Voldemort," Ginny said thoughtfully. "Or he has to kill you. 'The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord...'" She shook her head. "No wonder you didn't tell us. That's some pretty heavy stuff."

She had no idea. He had to live with the fact that he either had to kill, or be killed. And on top of what happened with Sirius... Harry shook his head. No. He didn't want to go there. Not now.

"Anyway," Jamie resumed, "There were those students who helped Harry-they were trying to raise up a resistance, you see, even in the school. Gabrielle was only eleven, but she had a lot of spunk. She was determined she was going to help, and she ended up involving herself more deeply than anyone could have guessed. She learned everything Harry and the others were willing to teach her. Well, by the time her Third Year rolled around, there was no Hogwarts anymore. The wizarding world was in such a disarray that even the school wasn't safe. Gabrielle's parents and sister had all been killed, and so she just stuck with your group. When she was sixteen, and Neville Longbottom was twenty-two, they got married. Some people probably thought it was scandalous, but I'm sure most people were worried about other things-and anyway, Gabrielle and Neville didn't care what anyone thought. Besides, for Gabrielle, sixteen wasn't so young anymore...she-and everyone else, for that matter-had been forced to grow up too fast."

That made such a strange picture in Harry's mind. Right now, Gabrielle was a little girl... And even as far as looks went, Neville was round-faced and a bit clumsy, and Gabrielle Delacour was part Veela. If she grew up to look anything like her sister, she would be gorgeous and graceful.

Of course, it also explained where Shay got his looks. Thinking about it now, he did look very, very much like Fleur and Gabrielle Delacour.

"Gabrielle got pregnant right after she and Neville were married. Shay was born in December of 2003." Jamie cast her eyes in Shay's direction.

He met Jamie's eyes for a moment, then said brusquely, "I never knew my father. Neville Longbottom died six months before I was born." It seemed that was all he was going to say, so Jamie picked up the story again.

"He was killed defending a bunch of Muggles from Death Eaters," she said sadly. "A month after that, Seamus Finnigan died protecting Gabrielle...he took the curse meant for her. That's why Shay's full name is Seamus Neville Longbottom."

"As for you four," Jamie said, looking uncomfortable about discussing their futures-even possible futures-with them, "You got married pretty young, too. You-" she nodded at Hermione "-were the first to get pregnant. Will was born in August of 2004. He was named after Uncle Bill. I was born on Halloween of that same year...on the anniversary of the night my grandparents-James and Lily Potter-died. When I was born, everyone thought I was going to be a boy. I was supposed to be named James. Instead, I wound up being Jamie...except to Will. He still calls me James." Jamie's eyes crinkled in a smile.

"I was born on Halloween of that same year...on the anniversary of the night my grandparents-James and Lily Potter-died." Those words sent another chill through Harry. James and Lily Potter were his parents, and the thought that they meant something to this girl he didn't even know was very disquieting.

"Things went on for a while...constant battles...people being drafted to your side, or to Voldemort's. It was hard work, and a lot of good people died." Jamie looked down at her hands. "It wasn't until my father died that everyone really gave up hope."

"Harry...died?" Hermione must have expected this, but her voice sounded numb.

I died...Voldemort must have killed me...the prophecy came true, and I lost.

"Without him, the wizarding world was lost. Voldemort killed him, and that couldn't happen-Harry had to defeat Voldemort. He's the only one that can do it." Jamie's mouth pressed in a thin line. "You-" she nodded at Ginny "-you died, too. My parents died fighting side-by-side."

Ginny looked stricken. "That's horrible! What a horrid future!" She looked very disturbed, exactly how Harry felt. "How old were you when...er...we died?"

"Three," Jamie replied softly. "I...I barely remember my parents. I remember little things...like when they taught me to use the Knight Bus in case I had to get away fast...that was when it was still running. And I remember them talking about Dumbledore, saying he always seemed to know everything, and things might not be as bad if he was still alive...other things, too..." She was quiet for a moment, and then picked up, "When Mum and Dad died, Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione took me in."

Ron started, and shot a look at Hermione. Uncle Ron? he mouthed.

"Shay's mum-" here Jamie cast a discreet look in Shay's direction "-died when he was seven. She was killed in a fight with Draco Malfoy-he murdered her with the Killing Curse," Jamie said.

Four mouths dropped open. "Malfoy?" Hermione squeaked.

"So he just got worse after Hogwarts, did he?" Ron said darkly.

Harry shot a quick look at Shay, who stared back at him defiantly. Malfoy killed his mother... Harry had always thought he had reason to hate Malfoy, but he could only imagine how Shay-who had been forced to live in the same dormitory as Malfoy-must feel. He remembered Blaise telling him that after numerous confrontations between Shay, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, Shay had finally been moved out of that dormitory.

"So after Gabrielle died, Shay came to stay with us, too. We were always moving...always looking for somewhere else to hide...always trying to gather forces to fight Voldemort, but it was never enough. It was after Shay's mum's death that Aunt Hermione-you-" Jamie's sharp green eyes fell on Hermione "-decided to build a Time-Turner. You see, everything had started with Dumbledore's death. That was what you wanted to stop. If that could happen, he would be able to help Harry along, to help him fight, and maybe Harry would have a better chance of defeating Voldemort."

Will picked up the tale, "You worked on it for years, but you never told us about it. Then, in February of 2017, my little sister was born. It wasn't expected-no one ever tried to have kids; why bring them into a world filled with darkness?" He sighed. "She was named Molly, after our grandmother. In September of that same year, when my sister Molly was seven months old, the Time-Turner was completed. Unfortunately, before you had the chance to use the Time-Turner, the place where we were staying was attacked." He paused, and in his eyes, Harry saw the pain of memories he didn't want to think about. "We were there when it happened...it was so quick, we barely had time to hide. We used Jamie's invisibility cloak-the one passed onto her from her father-to hide under. Mum and Dad made us do it...there was nowhere for them to hide. They fought brilliantly, though. There were at least a dozen Death Eaters, if not more...they took out half of them before they were disarmed. Molly...Molly was upstairs sleeping, and before we could try to get to her under the cloak, the Death Eaters found her."

Harry could almost see all of this happening...an older Ron and Hermione facing Death Eaters, the three children hiding under the cloak...someone bringing a screaming baby down the stairs... He could only imagine what the Death Eaters would have done...he didn't want to imagine it. Not to Ron and Hermione, not to a baby...

Will seemed unable to speak, so Jamie took over again. "The Death Eaters wanted information, and Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione wouldn't give it to them. So the Death Eaters...they used the Cruciatus Curse on Molly."

Harry spared a glance at his friends. Ron looked stricken, tears ran down Hermione's face, and Ginny clenched her hands into fists, her freckles showing starkly on her pale face.

"We saw it all happen...we saw it, and we couldn't stop it. We didn't have our wands...we never made that mistake again. We always have our wands with us," Jamie said tightly. "Unless they're taken from us," she added as an afterthought, looking at Hermione.

Hermione swiped her tears away. "Oh, yes. Here." She dug Jamie's wand out of her pocket and passed it to the girl, who tucked it into her pocket.

"The Death Eaters couldn't get information. They used the Cruciatus Curse on Molly until she passed out...and then they tried using it on Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. They finally decided it was a waste of time and then..." Jamie broke off and looked at the ground.

"And then they killed my parents," Will finished, wiping away tears of his own. "They left Molly as she was...thought it was quite funny...figured she'd die anyway because there'd be no one to take care of her." He shook his head angrily. "Molly was never the same after that. She never cried anymore, never laughed...she's never spoken a word in her life. Sometimes I wondered if she was just insane, but she understands things. I know she does. She plays with toys, and she recognizes familiar faces. She learns things. I just don't know if she'll ever be 'normal,'" he said.

"Has she ever been looked at by a Healer?" Hermione asked.

"A Healer? Where we're from? Or rather, when we're from? I don't think so. Healers are very hard to come by," Jamie spoke up.

"She's in the hospital wing now, though," Ginny said. "Right?"

Will nodded. "She has pneumonia."

"She's been staying in the Shrieking Shack with me," Jamie put in. "But now we're going to stay with our grandparents-your parents," she told Ron and Ginny. "That's why I was in Dumbledore's office. He explained to them who we are, and asked if we could live with them."

"Of course they said yes," Ginny said.

Jamie nodded. "They also died when I was very little, so I don't really remember them."

Silence hung in the room for a moment, and then Ron burst out, "Well, that's great! You were going to tell our parents who you were, and not us? Why?"

"Don't you see, Ron?" Hermione asked. He looked baffled. "Obviously not. They didn't want to ruin the way our relationships would go...isn't that right?"

Affirmative nods came from Will and Jamie, but Shay shrugged. "My parents probably won't get together if we change the future," he said. "Because the Beauxbatons students won't be moved here."

"And now it looks like we messed it up anyway," Jamie sighed. "Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione didn't start dating until the end of their Sixth Year, so-"

"Well, that certainly changed," Ginny broke in. "They started dating yesterday, didn't you know?" She directed this question to Will, who lived in Gryffindor House.

"Yes, but I didn't have time to tell Jamie. And I still don't understand why. I mean...not why are you dating...but what changed?" He looked at Jamie and Shay. "What made you start dating?" he asked Ron and Hermione curiously.

Ron and Hermione exchanged almost bashful glances. "Well...Ron-blithering idiot that he is," Hermione began affectionately, "finally realized how he felt about me."

"When?" Will asked Ron.

Ron's face was turning tomato-red. "Um...last week..." he muttered. "When Hermione was charming something for the Society of Slytherins. It was the middle of the night, and...well..." he shrugged. "I just realized that I...er..." he cleared his throat. "That I love her," he said, more firmly.

It was Shay, surprisingly, who spoke next. "That's what changed." He glanced at Hermione. "I joined the Society of Slytherins and told Blaise Zabini that you knew how to do a Protean Charm."

Understanding dawned on Hermione's face. "And Blaise asked me to do the Charm, which I did, and that's when Ron found me in the common room in the middle of the night."

"And as for my parents," Jamie began.

Harry looked at her with trepidation, not sure he wanted to hear anything about him and Ginny. How was he ever going to be able to look at Ginny the same way again?

"They didn't get together until my father's Seventh Year, and my mother's Sixth."

Oh, good. That gives me a whole year to think things over, Harry thought irrationally. He suddenly understood Hermione's earlier giggles. This was ridiculous. He half-expected to wake up and find he had been having a ludicrous dream, but he knew it wasn't going to happen.

"Anyway, back to the story," Jamie said. "After Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione died, we were pretty much on our own. Most wizards and witches that had opposed Voldemort were dead, in hiding, or under the Imperius Curse. We took everything we learned and carried on, moving from place to place, trying to keep out of the way of Voldemort and his minions. Witch, wizard, Muggle...it didn't matter anymore. Everyone was under his thumb. I think the longest we ever stayed anywhere was at the Burrow. We went there after Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione's deaths. It was rundown, and everyone avoided it. We lived there for almost a year. We didn't know what to do."

Harry couldn't imagine that kind of life. What would it be like, to live only for the sake of running and hiding and trying to stay one step ahead of the enemy? To not experience school, or Quidditch? To be entrusted to take complete care of yourself at thirteen, and to have a baby in your care as well?

No wonder Will's eyes always seemed older than his years. No wonder Shay was so defensive. No wonder Jamie seemed so lonely.

"Then, a little over a year ago, we found Aunt Hermione's journal," Jamie said. She glanced at Will, who took over.

"It took us a while to figure out how to read it-it was spelled so that no one could see what was written-but it turned out that all it needed was my thumbprint to unlock it," he said. "There weren't many entries...but the one that grabbed our attention was the one where you recorded information about the Time-Turner," he told Hermione. "As I said, it had taken years for you to make...and unfortunately, you had been wearing it when you died. We hadn't known about it, and so we hadn't taken it. We...we hadn't had time to bury you...or anywhere to bury you, for that matter." Will looked ashamed. "So then came the task of tracking the Time-Turner down. It took us a year. We did a lot of sneaking and searching...we paid bribes and did everything we could to find it. When we did find it, we had a hard time getting it. Turns out it had wound up on Hogwarts grounds."

"Hogwarts had become a place crawling with Death Eaters," Shay spoke up again. "They thought it was safe, because of all the protections around it." His blue eyes glinted in amusement. "Will and I used Jamie's cloak to sneak onto Hogwarts grounds and get the Time-Turner. We couldn't Apparate or Disapparate, obviously, but we got the Time-Turner. The Death Eaters never knew about it."

"We traveled back in time the next day," Jamie said. She proceeded to tell them how they had gone first to the Burrow, looking for the Gourl, how they had received letters inviting them to Hogwarts, how it had been decided Jamie couldn't go. Will and Shay had gone to Diagon Alley for school supplies...

"And that's where I met you," Ginny said, sounding amazed. She shook her head. "I had no idea...it puts a whole new perspective on things."

Will finished up by telling them about stealing the Gourl from Ron, giving it to Dumbledore, and then learning that he had ruined Tonks' undercover operation for Voldemort.

"So that's what Lupin and Tonks were talking about the other day!" Hermione exclaimed. She frowned. "Ahh...and now you don't know what to do, right?" She looked at Will, Jamie, and Shay. "You came back to stop Dumbledore from being killed...and you don't know who killed him."

"And speaking of Lupin, where does he fit into your future?" Harry asked.

Harry couldn't fail to notice that both Will and Shay looked at Jamie, who, at the mention of Lupin, had ducked her head so he couldn't see her face.

Eyes still on Jamie, Will said hesitantly, "He stayed with us a lot when we were little. He was one of the few people that opposed Voldemort that was still alive and in hiding. During our search for the Time-Turner, he helped us track it down."

"He died helping us track it down," Jamie said fiercely, her head snapping up. Tears swam in her eyes, and a mixture of emotions played across her face. Guilt? Regret? Harry couldn't quite place it, but the pain was evident. "He...he was like a father to me...or a grandfather," she said hastily, shooting a glance in Harry's direction.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He wondered just how Lupin had died, but decided against asking right now, especially as Jamie looked like she was about to break down if they continued on this subject. He didn't know if he could deal with any crying girls right now.

"It's so strange...being here, seeing people who are supposed to be dead..." Jamie said miserably.

"Yes, well, it's just as strange being here and seeing people who shouldn't be born," Ginny pointed out.

"So what are we going to do next?" Ron asked. He looked around at the others' expressions. "What? We can't just sit around and let that future happen!"

Hermione shook her head. "After all I learned during my Third Year about not changing the future..."

"Hermione, you were the one who made the Time-Turner," Ron pointed out.

"No, the future me did it." She sighed heavily. "But you're right. We can't just let it happen. And as has been pointed out, things have already changed. I'm certainly glad I didn't have to wait until the end of this year before you decided to come to your senses about me," she told Ron.

"So what do we do next?" Ron asked.

Everyone was quiet for a moment.

"What I am going to do next is go to bed," Ginny said firmly, standing to her feet. "There's been a lot said, and there's a lot that I need to think about. When I've processed all of this, I'm going to want details on everything you know that happened this year. I'll help-we'll help-in finding Dumbledore's killer as much as we can, but we're going to need details."

Hermione nodded. "Ginny's right. We're going to need to look into anything suspicious. And since things have changed, we need to keep a close watch on Dumbledore. We have the Marauder's Map-"

"We have one, too," Will broke in.

"Well, then. We have two Marauder's Maps, and we can keep an eye on the names for anything suspicious. If we had looked at it sooner, we would have certainly noticedWilliam Weasley and Seamus Longbottom. When are you leaving for Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys'?" Hermione asked Jamie.

"Tomorrow, when Molly gets out of the hospital wing," Jamie replied promptly.

"Or as soon as Madam Pomfrey lets her go," Will sighed. "And speaking of Molly, I need to get back down to her. She needs someone familiar there if she wakes up."

"I'd like to come with you-if you don't mind," Hermione said quickly.

Will hesitated, then shook his head. "You can come."

"Ron?" Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

"Erm...I think I'm going to go with Harry and Ginny." Ron looked pleadingly at Hermione. "I...just need to think about this, too."

One by one, they stood to their feet. Hermione turned the Marauder's Map over to Harry, and then she and Will left for the hospital wing. Shay took off for the dungeons, and Jamie went next door to meet Professor McGonagall in her office. Harry, Ron, and Ginny headed back to the Gryffindor common room in silence, watching the map to make sure they didn't run into Filch or Mrs. Norris, since Harry didn't feel like being crammed under the invisibility cloak with Ron and Ginny just now. He needed some space to think.

Harry's mind swarmed with the strange events that had happened this night, and as he walked, he carefully looked everywhere except at Ginny. "This," Ron finally said as they neared the Fat Lady's portrait, "has to be the strangest night of my life. And that's saying a lot. How is this possible?"

Ginny shook her head. "No, the question is, who's going to tell Neville that he has a son staying at Hogwarts?"

Chapter Sixteen ~ Aftermath

Hermione and Will made their way to the hospital wing in silence. Hermione had a million thoughts running through her head, and Will seemed almost afraid to talk to her now. Learning Will was her future self's son was a shock, but Hermione had the great fortune of having just begun dating Ron. She was so completely in love with him that the concept of them one day having a child together wasn't implausible at all. True, she wouldn't have expected to meet said future child, but it was a reality she now faced, and if there was one thing Hermione Granger was good at, it was facing and sorting out the obvious.

Harry and Ginny, on the other hand...Hermione could only imagine how awkward things might be for them. The summer after Ginny's third year, she had told Hermione, "I've given up on Harry liking me...I've decided to just let that go and be friends with him, and I've started dating Michael Corner. I've been so silly around Harry...he really hasn't seen me for who I am."

And with that resolution, she had indeed become her normal self around Harry. Hermione was proud of her for becoming Harry's friend, and she hoped that the friendship was not going to unravel because of all of this. Though if Ginny has anything to say about it, it won't, she thought wryly. Ginny Weasley could be very stubborn when she wanted to be.

When they entered the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey hurried out of her office. "Mr. Warren...and Miss Granger? What are you doing down here? It is after curfew."

"Professor McGonagall knows I'm with Will," Hermione told her quite honestly.

Madam Pomfrey sighed. "Fine, then, but I don't want either of you disturbing my patient. She needs her rest," she told them severely.

"We won't, Madam Pomfrey," Will told her solemnly.

Madam Pomfrey retreated to her office, and Will walked over to an occupied hospital bed. Hermione followed him, swallowing hard despite herself. Will slid onto a stool beside the bed, and Hermione approached slowly. She stopped at the end of the hospital bed. The first thing she noticed was a mop of red hair sticking out from the , she has the Weasley hair, at least.

Will was studying her with a tilted head. "This is Molly," he whispered, taking the little girl's hand.

Hermione stepped around the bed to stand across from Will. She looked down at the tiny child on the bed. "She looks just like Ron," she whispered back in awe. Slowly, not quite sure if she should be doing so, she reached out and touched Molly's nose. "Except for that. That's mine." Mine...my little girl, in a very weird way.

The memory of what Jamie had said happened to Molly as a baby rose up in her mind, and her throat tightened. What must have it been like for her future self, to be forced to watch her baby daughter tortured? Will had said that the Death Eaters tried to get information, and that Ron and Hermione wouldn't give it to them, so they had tortured Molly. Would I have stood by and watched my baby be tortured, or would I have given information that could possibly lead to the deaths of hundreds, depending on what I knew? What did I know?

Hesitantly, Hermione said, "Will? In...in the future..." No, she shouldn't ask. Will had already had to relive it once this evening; she shouldn't make him live it again.

"Yes?" Will asked. He noticed her reluctance to speak, and smiled sadly. "It's all right. You can ask me whatever you want."

"How...what did the future me know that the Death Eaters wanted? You said that Ron and I refused to tell them anything, and that's why they tortured Molly, and we still didn't tell them anything, so they finally tortured us." Her eyes fell on Molly again, and she whispered, "Was it worth not telling them, if it did all this damage to her?"

Will looked startled. He frowned, and shook his head. "I should have clarified. My parents wouldn't tell them anything-but the truth is, you didn't have what information they were looking for. Even I knew that, when I heard what they were asking you." Hermione didn't ask what the Death Eaters had wanted to know; it didn't matter. "That was a system that all of our parents set up before we were ever born. Each person who was part of the Order-yes, we had the Order in our time, too-knew only a bit of information about it, or about who was part of it. That way, if they were caught, they couldn't be forced to tell much. So naturally, my mother and father were going to refuse to tell the Death Eaters anything-regardless to what they actually knew or didn't know." He hesitated, and then plunged on. "When the Death Eaters brought Molly down...well, you..." his voice trailed off, and Hermione saw the pain in his eyes as he got lost again in the memory. "You tried telling them things to get them to stop torturing her," he whispered. He sighed. "I'm sure they were lies-but they sounded believable. It just wasn't what the Death Eaters thought you knew-so they kept torturing her anyway, and then went on to torture the two of you."

Hermione absorbed this information. She felt a little better knowing her future self hadn't sacrificed her daughter to keep silence, and that she probably hadn't betrayed anyone or anything. It had been a situation in which there was no way out. That wasn't something to which Hermione was accustomed. In her life, she had always found a way out. Sometimes things came close, but there had always been an escape.

What had her future self been thinking when she died? Had she died believing that her children would be murdered? Had she died without hope?

Tears spilled down her cheeks before she noticed, and she quickly grabbed a tissue off of the table beside Molly's bed and wiped her face. She turned her focus back on Will. "And to think I've been giving you tutoring lessons for three weeks. How...motherly of me," she said, half a smile on her face.

Will looked down at his hands. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"We really didn't mean to mess up your lives," he said unhappily.

Hermione frowned. "I don't think you messed up our lives, Will. I do think it will be an adjustment, but...we'll get used to it, you know. We've gotten used to a lot in our lives, as I'm sure you have. I can only imagine what it must be like for you."

Will glanced up and met her eyes. "Weird," he said, with a half-smile of his own.

"There are a couple of things I still don't understand, though," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"What's that?"

"Well, I've read many different theories on time-travel-I read them mostly during my third year, when I had a Time-Turner..." She launched into an explanation of some of the theories she'd read. Her experiences, she told him, had been that anything that took place actually happened because of her time-traveling.

In turn, Will shared what he, Shay, and Jamie had discovered in their search for information on time-traveling in the future. Shay and Jamie had apparently snuck into the Ministry of Magic-which, Will said, had been half-destroyed anyway-and found a room in the Department of Mysteries which they described as a 'time room.' Hermione had known instantly which room he referred to-she had seen that very place, when she, Ron, Harry, Neville, Ginny, and Luna went to the Ministry to 'rescue' Sirius.

"They found a file full of theories on time-travel, and the gist of it was that there are different possibilities for time-travel. In some cases, the things that happen are caused because of the time-traveling. In other cases, an alternate timeline is created, which seems to be what happened in this time. In your journal, the future you thought that she would be the one to travel back in time. She had no memories of ever meeting me, or Shay, or Jamie," Will said.

"How do you know that you didn't travel back in time, and the future me never met you? Or that if she did, her memories of it weren't erased?"

Will looked startled. "We don't, I suppose. But I'm pretty sure we didn't, since this is an alternate timeline. In the original timeline, Ron had the Gourl until the end of the year. You never dated him until the end of the year. Shay certainly wasn't in the Society of Slytherins, and there was no Hogwarts Coalition."

Hermione nodded in assent. "I'll give you that. But we still have to be very, very careful. You don't know how Dumbledore died-no one does. We have to make sure we don't inadvertently cause his death. Now, my second question: why did you come back to this time in particular?"

"My mum's journal. In it, she wrote that she thought about going back to her one of her first Four Years, and changing it so that Voldemort never got his body back, but then realized that she might mess something up-that something important might have happened that Harry needed in order to vanquish him. Then she thought about going back even further, and killing Tom Riddle before he became Voldemort. She then realized that the consequences of that could be utterly dire. Even if the prophecy wasn't given until just before Harry's birth, she thought that if she tried to kill Tom Riddle before he became Voldemort, she might fail...that maybe no matter what the Time, Harry had to be the one to do the deed.

"We thought about going to different times, too, but it all came back to one thing: we had to save Dumbledore, the only one Voldemort ever feared, and give Harry a chance. It was Tonks that we needed to stop-or so we thought-and we needed to get as close to this period of time as we could. The longer we were here before the Gourl was created, the more we might mess up, if that makes sense."

"It does make sense," Hermione said. "If any of this makes sense. But...another thing I don't understand...if you don't succeed, and Dumbledore dies, can't you just go back and start the year over, and try again?" Of course, it would mean that Hermione wouldn't remember any of this, and she didn't like that thought.

Will shook his head. "There was a catch with the Time-Turner. It only works once. It's useless now. No one will ever be able to use it again."

That, Hermione thought, was probably a good thing. The more a person meddled with time, the more complicated things got, and the more could be messed up.

She sat back in her chair and mulled all of this over in her mind. She came to the same conclusion that she had at the end of her third year: time was complex, and it was something to be left alone. Finally, she turned her thoughts to more simple matters, and decided to find out a little more about Will's life. "What about my parents? Did you ever know them?" Hermione asked curiously.

Will shook his head. "They died before I was born," he said sadly. "Killed in a giant rampage in London when they were visiting. And as Jamie said, my other grandparents died when I was very young."

"Oh." Hermione rubbed her forehead tiredly. Was everyone in their blasted future dead?

They sat in silence for a while, both lost in their own thoughts, until Will suddenly blurted out, "Are you and Ron going to break up now?"

Startled, Hermione looked up and met his eyes. "Break up? Why on earth would we do that?"

"Because of me," Will said miserably.

Hermione's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, because of you? You mean, because we know you exist? Why would we break up because of that?"

"Well...maybe you're so creeped out by it that you won't...you know, stay together."

Hermione studied Will sympathetically for a moment. "You're carrying far too much on your shoulders, you know," she told him. "Keep doing that, and one of these days you're going to crack."

Will looked surprised by her response. "What?"

"Will, listen. You've just been telling me-things have changed. I can't predict how the future will happen...I can't tell you for sure that Ron and I will be married. Even if we are married, it's very questionable whether you'll actually be born. We might get married, and have a girl first. And even if by some miracle, another Will is born-and by that, I mean that we have a son that is genetically you-well...I sincerely hope that he will grow up in a different world, in a different lifestyle than you did. And if that's the case, then no matter how much this child would look and sound like you, he wouldn't be you. Do you understand?"

"I...I think so." Will was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "What about Harry and Ginny?"

"Harry and Ginny," Hermione sighed. "Well...I can't say for sure. That's something they'll have to work out for themselves."

Ginny tiptoed into her dark dormitory, barely able to see where she was going. She tripped over something that was on the floor and fell to the ground with a loud heard Alexia, one of her three dormmates, murmur and roll over in bed. Elspeth didn't even stir. Holly, on the other hand, gasped and sat up, flinging her bed curtains back. "Ginny? You all right?"

Ginny winced, rubbing her knee. "Yes. Just tripped over-" she picked up the offending item "-Elspeth's book bag." Elspeth was always leaving her book bag-and all of her other belongings-all over the place. She was incredibly absent-minded, and very untidy. Her area of the room was a disaster, and more often then not, the disaster started escaping across the floor. "Sorry...didn't mean to wake you."

"It's all right." Yawning, Holly closed her curtains.

Ginny continued to her bed in the far left corner more cautiously. When she was there, she closed her bed curtains firmly, then curled up on the bed. It was late-nearing midnight-but she didn't think she could sleep if she tried. The events of the evening kept running through her head. Jamie Potter's face, in particular, stuck in her mind as if it had been spelled there with a Permanent Sticking Charm.

Moaning, Ginny flopped face-first onto her pillow. Ron was right; this had been the strangest night of her life. And the look on Harry's face...it must have been similar to her own. Then Harry wouldn't even look at her. Had the fragile friendship she had worked so hard to build with him come crashing down in the space of a few hours? Did shewant it to?

"Of course you don't," she whispered fiercely, her voice muffled by the pillow. Things had just become so complicated, in more ways than one. The problem, Ginny realized, was her. She had been telling the truth: she had spent four years shying away whenever Harry was around because she'd had a horrible crush on him. She had given up on that-she had accepted that Harry was never going to like her that way. It had been rather freeing, actually. She had become much more self-assured around him, and finally felt that she could be herself.

She wasn't going to suddenly go back to being shy around him-she had come beyond that immaturity. The problem, the thing she was now facing, but not wanting to see, was that her crush for Harry had not been stamped out. Her feelings for him had changed, yes, but while she had spent the past year believing that she really had gotten over Harry, she now saw that wasn't the case.

"How could you delude yourself like this?" Ginny muttered angrily to herself, rolling over onto her back. "You didn't get over him."

It had taken meeting Jamie Potter, hearing her say that Harry and Ginny had been married in the future, to realize how much she truly cared for Harry-as more than a friend. The feelings had never gone away-they had changed and deepened, and become more than just a crush.

What about Michael Corner, and Dean Thomas? Was I just trying to date them so that I wouldn't think about Harry? Because I was trying to forget anything I might have felt for him? Ginny wondered. Here I've been lecturing Ron on his relationships, and not even seeing my own!

"What am I supposed to do?" she groaned.

"Gin?" Holly's tired voice mumbled.

Ginny winced. "Sorry, Hol," she apologized again. She had a habit of talking to herself, especially when she was trying to sort something out, and often didn't realize she was doing it.

What was she supposed to do now? What was Harry feeling right now? Was he going to avoid her for the rest of his life because he was afraid she would try to come onto him?

Ginny was generally a very perceptive person. It was something she had learned in years of growing up with six older brothers who were always into things-be it mischief and trouble, romances, jobs-she had seen much of life in the way her brothers lived. She had learned to be observant, and to pick up on things other people missed. Oh, she wasn't all that great at piecing together mysteries, like Hermione was. No, Ginny was good at figuring out people, at least to some degree. Take Ron and Harry. Through years of experience, she could read Ron like an open book. The boy was just not good at hiding his emotions. Harry, on the other hand, was harder to figure out, and Ginny wasn't so arrogant that she believed she knew everything that went on in his mind and soul. But she had known him for five years, and even if she had been too enamored with him to really talk to him for the first four, she had observed certain things about him, and since her fourth year, she had been able to really talk to him and let him get to know the real Ginny Weasley.

Now that might all be destroyed because of tonight.

And Jamie Potter. Her daughter. Harry's daughter. She had picked up quite a few things from watching Jamie-most prominently, that the girl was lonely. Ginny felt terrible for the future Jamie and the others had grown up in, and she certainly didn't blame the poor girl for anything that might happen-or not happen-between her and Harry.

Ginny tossed and turned for the majority of the night, trying to figure out what to do now, trying to decide what she should and should not tell Harry. She accidentally woke up Holly two more times while talking to herself, and thanked her lucky stars that Holly was such an easy-going dormmate-probably one reason she was chosen as the fifth year prefect. Alexia would have been a grouch all day if she got woken up four times because of Ginny.

On top of that, she kept thinking of Jamie, and Jamie's future, and everything she had suffered. The state of shock she had been in upon learning Jamie's identity was slowly wearing off, and and with it, she felt more and more as if her world had been ripped up, tipped upside down, and shaken. What was she supposed to do? She now had afuture daughter who was older than her. How odd was that? Jamie didn't plan on calling her 'Mum,' did she?

Ginny had to giggle at that image, but then she was back to running everything through her mind, again and again and again. By the end of the night, Ginny had decided that she would not withdraw from Harry, and that she would do her best to put Harry at ease with her so that he would not withdraw from her. She was determined that for now, regardless to any feelings she might have realized she had for him, she would be his friend, and only his friend. Right now, that was what Harry needed from her, especially in light of the past evening. As for Jamie-well, she would take that situation one delicate step at a time. There was no reason she could not also befriend Jamie-Ginny might not be able to offer her a mother, but she could certainly offer her friendship.

It was nearing five in the morning when Ginny pulled herself out of bed. She knew she would be dozing in classes all day, but she was glad that she had at least sorted some things out in her own mind.

Now to the task of talking with Harry...

Harry was nowhere to be seen, but Ron was sitting in the common room when Ginny went downstairs. "Get any sleep?" she asked.

Ron looked up at her with bloodshot eyes. His red hair stuck up in every direction, as if he had been running his hands through it. "You have to be kidding."

"Have you seen Harry or Hermione?"

"Harry's still in his bed-I don't think he's asleep, though. I haven't seen Hermione."

"I peeked into her dormitory-she's not there. Maybe she stayed the night in the hospital wing." Ginny hesitated. "Do you want to go down there?" She felt a bit of trepidation at the thought of seeing Will, Shay, or Jamie, but she knew it was something she was just going to have to deal with and overcome. She also knew that Molly-Ron's future daughter Molly-was in the hospital wing, and it might help reality set in more if they went to see her.

Ron hesitated, then finally nodded. "Yeah. Sure. We can go down."

The siblings walked in silence through the corridors and down to the hospital wing. Ginny wasn't sure what Ron had been thinking about the whole situation, but she surmised from the look on his face that he was still in a state of disbelief.

When they entered the hospital wing, there was no sight of Madam Pomfrey. Will and Hermione were both there. Will was seated on a chair beside a bed, holding a little girl's hand. He was sleeping, his head resting on the bed, and from his position, Ginny thought he must be very uncomfortable. Hermione was sound asleep on the next hospital bed. Hermione must have been the only one who got any sleep last night, Ginny sighed enviously.

Not wanting to disturb anyone from their slumber, Ginny and Ron tiptoed over to the bed and looked down at little Molly Weasley. Ginny's eyes widened, and she was struck by how much Molly looked like her as a child. Ron blinked, then took a step back from the bed. "This is nutters," he whispered, for the dozenth time since last night.

Ginny continued to study the child, and was surprised when her brown eyes blinked open, then widened. She looked very startled. "It's all right," she murmured. "I'm not going to hurt you." She leaned forward, and Molly cringed back. Tearing her eyes off of Ginny, she looked wildly around. When she saw Will slumped beside her, she squirmed closer to him and wrapped her arms around his head.

Will jerked awake and almost smacked his head into Molly's chin. "Molly? What's wrong?" Molly struggled out of her bedsheets until she could properly fling herself onto her brother, wrapping her arms and legs around him and pressing her face into his neck. From that safe vantage point, she peeked out at Ron and Ginny. Will looked up at them and offered a tired smile. "Hi," he said, in a very uncertain tone. He was probably wondering how Ron and Ginny were going to react.

Ginny sat down on the end of Molly's bed. "Hi," she said, smiling cheerfully in return. She gave Ron a pointed look, and he shuffled, then said, more awkwardly, "'Morning." He eyed Molly for a minute, and then said, still more uncomfortably, "So...er...she's..." He shook his head and shrugged helplessly.

"This is Molly," Will said softly. "Molly, this is Ron, and this is Ginny." He pointed to each of them in turn.

Ginny reached over and prodded Hermione, who groaned. "What time is it? Am I late?" She must have suddenly remembered where she was and what had happened, because she gasped and quickly sat up. Her robes were all wrinkled from having slept in them.

Her eyes fell on Will and Molly, and all she could do was stare at them for a long minute.

"This is Molly," Will finally told her. "Molly, this is Hermione."

Molly peered at her for a moment, then stuck her thumb in her mouth and laid her head on Will's shoulder.

Hermione slipped out of bed and stepped next to Ron, wrapping an arm around him. He looked down at Hermione with a lost, almost disbelieving expression on his pale face.

Ginny decided to give them some time alone. Maybe they would sort some things out. "I'm going to get some breakfast," she said. She smiled again at Molly, then left the hospital wing. She really wanted to talk to Harry, but he wasn't in the Great Hall when she arrived there.

Neville was, though. Ginny halted inside the doors, her gaze on the round-faced boy. Should I tell him what's going on? Shay, Neville's future son, hadn't been very happy about talking about his parents. Maybe Shay's the one who needs to tell Neville about it...but what if he decides not to? Neville deserves to know. He's part of this, too.

Ginny approached the Gryffindor table and slid into the seat across from Neville. "Hi, Ginny!" he greeted her cheerfully.

"Hi, Neville. Are you busy?"

"No, just finishing breakfast. Why?"

"We need to talk."

Forty-five minutes later, Neville sank back into the chair he was sitting in. Ginny had led him to an empty classroom and explained everything that had happened the night before. Now Neville looked lost. Ginny felt complete sympathy and understanding for him. "So..." Neville struggled to find something to say. "So Shay Long is my...my futureson?"

Ginny didn't blame him for sounding incredulous. "Yes," she said. "I know it's strange, Neville."

Neville shook his head. "Strange doesn't even begin to describe it. And I can't believe that Will is really Ron and Hermione's son from the future. He's become a good friend." He was quiet for a few minutes, and Ginny let him think. "So...er...what do you want me to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well..." Neville began awkwardly. "I don't know what to say to Shay."

"Oh, Neville...you don't have to talk to him-he doesn't know you know, though he may have guessed we'd tell you. I just thought it would only be fair to tell you."

Neville nodded numbly. "Thanks...I think."

Ginny stood to her feet and patted his arm. She knew Neville well enough to realize that he would probably keep all of this locked inside, and deal with it privately. He would adjust to it, as the rest of them would.

She was walking out of the classroom, but stopped when Neville said, "Ginny?"

She turned. "Yes?"

"I...I know what it's like to grow up without parents...even if mine are still alive. I...I never wanted that to happen to any of my children." His brow wrinkled in a frown. "Not that I really thought a lot about having my own kids. And...Gabrielle Delacour? I can't believe I married her...I mean, I'm sure she's nice and everything, but...well, I only just saw her during the Triwizard Tournament, and she was so...little."

Ginny offered him a sympathetic half-smile. "I know exactly how you feel, Neville. You don't have to marry Gabrielle just because that's what happened in their future. And...well, we're going to do everything we can to help our future kids stop what they came here to stop."

Neville swallowed and nodded determinedly. "I want to help, too."

"Harry?" Sari Xiu, forehead wrinkled in concern, peered into Harry's face. "Are you all right?" she asked, signing as she spoke.

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes. His head hurt. "I'm fine," he said aloud, while signing the words slowly in return. He had met her after school for one of his sign-language tutoring sessions, but it hadn't taken long for Sari to realize how utterly distracted he was. Of course, he had been utterly distracted all day. He had rushed through corridors between classes, hoping that if he could just make it to each class, he could let his mind focus on what was being taught. He didn't want to think about last night anymore. He had thought about it most of the night, and he was tired of running it over and over in his mind.

And Ginny...Ginny had tried to talk to him a couple of times today, but he had found excuses to slip away. He knew that inevitably, she would eventually corner him, but he wanted to put it off for as long as possible...or at least until his mind was a little clearer.

He didn't quite know why he couldn't look Ginny in the eye, or why he was avoiding her...it wasn't like she was going to suddenly want to marry him just because of what they had heard about the future, was it? The future wasn't written, right? So there was no reason for him to think that he had to marry Ginny.

His headache was getting worse, and he pushed the whole ordeal out of his mind again, focusing on Sari. Sorry, he signed without speaking, practicing getting the motions correct. I'm tired. I didn't get much-"I don't know the word for sleep," he said.

Sari showed him what it was, and he copied it. I didn't get much sleep, he finished.

Sari smiled. "It's all right," she told him. "You're still doing very well."

Harry managed to return the smile. He was quite pleased with his progress. On top of the lessons she had been giving him, she had lent him a book called Signing to had been doing his best to study it at night, to learn as much as he could of her language.

When Aiden Connor came to collect Sari-apparently the First Years were doing something together that afternoon-Harry trailed out onto the grounds. Though it wasn't raining, the sky was still gray, and the ground was wet, just as it had been the other morning, when he and Ginny had conversed by the lake.

Harry sighed irritably. He was trying to get Ginny out of his mind, not into it. He stared down at Hagrid's cabin longingly, wishing that he was home, wishing that he could sit at his table and have a cup of dandelion juice, and even a rock-hard biscuit. He still didn't know where Hagrid was.

Harry glanced toward the Forbidden Forest. Things had been fairly quiet in there, and Harry wondered, not for the first time, if Hagrid had taken his giant of a half-brother with him, wherever he was. Grawp certainly hadn't come storming onto Hogwarts grounds, for which Harry was grateful.

After taking a long walk around the lake, Harry reluctantly headed back up to Gryffindor Tower. And of course, the inevitable came sooner than he'd hoped. Ginny was sitting on the floor, leaning on the wall beside the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"...life's confusing at times, dear," the Fat Lady was saying placatingly. "I'm sure whatever's bothering you will work itself out."

Ginny sighed heavily. "I hope so." Then she caught sight of Harry and jumped to her feet. "Oh, good. I was waiting for you."

Ignoring the urge to turn around and run the other way, Harry asked, "Why are you outside of Gryffindor Tower? Wouldn't it be more comfortable in the common room?"

"It's crowded right now." Ginny said simply. "The First Years have some kind of project going on in there, and I didn't want to deal with everyone." She rubbed her temples, and Harry wondered if she had a headache, too. "Can we talk?"

Harry frowned. "Look, I'm not really-"

"Please, Harry. I know you've been avoiding me all day, and I really just need to talk to you. Please." Ginny looked at him pleadingly.

Harry sighed. "All right." Best to get it over with now, he thought resolutely.

He and Ginny trailed away from Gryffindor Tower. Unlike the other day, the silence was anything but comfortable. Ginny found the nearest abandoned classroom and motioned Harry inside, then locked the door. She sat on one of the desks and faced Harry, who crossed his arms and leaned against the door.

Ginny stared at him for a moment, and then jumped right in. "Look," she said, "I know that everything that happened last night was...weird."

"That's an understatement."

"But Harry..." Ginny looked down at her hands, then back up at Harry, and he was surprised to see the intensity in her eyes. She looked so...sad. "I don't want this to come between our friendship. I mean, it's not like I suddenly want to start shagging you just because I found out we had a daughter in the future, all right? I just...I just want to be your friend. If you'll let me."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. He sighed again. "Ginny..." he trailed off, not sure how to express what he was feeling. "I...I like being your friend. It's..." He was bad at this. What was he supposed to say? Finally, he shrugged helplessly.

"This isn't easy for me, either," Ginny said with a sigh of her own. "It's...it's just so overwhelming. The thought of having a daughter with...with anyone right now is scary. I thought about it all night, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I don't want to know my future. In some ways, I'm afraid it won't be changed, and I don't want to know everything about my life. Having a future that's uncertain is part of the joy of life."

Ginny's words broke something in Harry. "It's a bit late for that, though, isn't it?" he asked bitterly.

Ginny didn't reply, but looked at him questioningly, and without really wanting them to, the words poured from his mouth. "I don't want to deal with this," he said, pacing across the classroom floor. "It seems like my entire life has been controlled by...by fate. A prophecy made before I was even born brought me to the point where I am now. Don't you see? My future is already written." In his agitation, his voice was getting louder, but he didn't care. "I have to kill Voldemort. Me. No one else. And if I fail, then millions of people are destined to suffer."

Understanding and surprise dawned on Ginny's face. "Jamie's future isn't your fault, Harry."

"Then whose is it?" Harry asked loudly. "It's my fault! Mine! In her future, I failed to kill Voldemort. I caused the deaths of hundreds, probably millions. Just like I caused Sirius's death, and my parents'!" He couldn't believe he was saying all of this, to Ginny of all people, but it had been building up since Sirius's death and now it was as if a tidal wave had been unleashed. He couldn't stop the words. "If I hadn't been so stupid and gullible, Sirius would be alive!"

Ginny blinked, her forehead creased in concern. "Harry, Sirius's death wasn't your fault."

"YES, IT WAS!" Harry roared.

Ginny didn't flinch. "No, it wasn't. Bellatrix Lestrange killed him, Harry. Not you."

"I CAUSED IT! IF I HADN'T GONE TO THE MINISTRY, HE WOULD STILL BE ALIVE! IF I HAD LISTENED TO HERMIONE, HE WOULD BE HERE RIGHT NOW!" Catching himself, Harry lowered his voice several decibels. "She told me. Just before we went to the Ministry, she told me that I have a...a 'saving people thing,'" he said angrily. "I yelled at her. I was so determined that I had to save him, and I didn't want to hear her. If I hadn't thought I was invulnerable-"

Ginny looked puzzled, and then she shook her head. That angered him further. Before he could snap at her, she said, "Harry, I don't think you thought you were invulnerable."

Harry's jaw clenched. "Oh, yeah? And how do you know what I think?"

"Harry..." Ginny began. She stopped, thought for a minute, and then said, "You've been through a lot in your lifetime, and especially since you've come to Hogwarts. You've faced Voldemort four times. When..." she hesitated again, and then continued, "When you came down to the Chamber of Secrets to save me, you had to have been scared."

Where was she going with this? "Of course I was scared," Harry said coldly. "Voldemort was down there with a giant basilisk that wanted to kill me, if you remember."

"And you knew there was a possibility that you might die."

"Yes."

"But you came anyway. Why?"

Her question caught Harry off guard, and he stopped his pacing. "Because I was the only one who could."

"That's not true. You could have told McGonagall, or any of the other teachers."

"We tried telling Lockhart...and then we didn't have time to tell anyone else," Harry said. "Besides..." He frowned, not sure what the 'besides' was. He considered for a moment, and then said, "I...wasn't sure I could depend on the teachers to help me." Hadn't it been that way in his first year? No one had listened when he told them the Stone was in danger. Adults could be so narrow-minded about things.

"I don't think that you believed you were indestructible or invulnerable. You just said it yourself-you knew you could die. I think you did what you felt you had to do,regardless to your own personal risk-not because you thought there wasn't personal risk."

Harry shook his own head. "I had to have thought I was invulnerable."

"Why?"

Was Ginny trying to make his head spin in confusion? She was certainly doing a good job of it. "Because..." Emotions swirled through him, emotions that he did not want to feel, that he had been covering for a long time. "I must have thought I was invulnerable, or I would have taken more precautions at the Ministry. I wouldn't have just rushed headlong and gotten Sirius killed."

Ginny gave him a sad smile. "No, Harry. You did it because you thought you were the only one who could. You said it. It's the same reason you came down to the Chamber to get me."

Harry thought he understood what she was saying. "Because I have a 'saving people thing,'" he said bitterly.

"Because you love those close to you and you want to make sure they're safe."

"Well, some job I do of it!" Harry snapped. "I just get everyone around me killed! My parents, Cedric, Sirius...and in the future, more people then I want to imagine!" He began his frenzied pacing again.

"Harry, you didn't kill your parents, or Cedric, or Sirius."

"YES, I did! I might not have pointed my wand at them and said the curses, but I as good as did the deed! Because of the stupid fate that I never asked for! Because of some prophecy that was made about me! My parents died because of it! Cedric was murdered because Voldemort wanted me! He wouldn't have died if I hadn't told him to take the Triwizard Cup with me! AND SIRIUS WOULDN'T HAVE DIED IF I HADN'T BEEN SO STUPID!" Harry wished he had something to throw against the wall. It might make him feel a little better, release some of the emotions burning through him. "I DON'T WANT THIS BROKEN FATE!" he shouted. "I don't want to be famous Harry Potter! I don't want to be a novelty, or a killer, or some idolized hero! I don't want the future of the world to depend upon me. I - NEVER - ASKED - FOR - ANY - OF - THIS!" He had reached the door again, and he slammed his fists against it. "I DON'T WANT ANYONE ELSE TO DIE BECAUSE OF ME! EVERYONE I EVER LOVE SUFFERS BECAUSE OF ME!"

Shaking, he leaned his forehead against the wooden door. He couldn't turn around, couldn't look at Ginny. He shouldn't even be saying all of this, especially to her. An ocean of emotions washed over him: anger-mostly at himself-fear, and above all, a horrible guilt that ate away at his very soul.

He felt a light touch on his arm, and then Ginny gripped him by his shoulders and turned him to face her. He was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "The people you love don't suffer because of you. You bring happiness to their lives, Harry. The only one who makes them suffer is Voldemort. It's not your fault that you got pulled into all of this, and his actions-and his follower's actions-are not your fault. Everyone has a choice, Harry. Your friends choose to love you because you make their lives better."

Harry gritted his teeth. "You don't understand."

"Oh, don't I?" Ginny blinked the tears out of her eyes. "Do you have any idea what I went through in my first year, Harry? Do you?" Without waiting for a response, she delved into exactly what she had suffered. "I was possessed by Voldemort for nearly nine months. Not all the time, of course, but do you have any idea what it's like to come to and find that you have blood on you, and realize that you killed the school roosters? Do you have any idea what it's like to learn that Voldemort himself has been speaking through you to set a basilisk on your fellow students? Do you know how much I thank my lucky stars every day that no one died? Do you have any idea the fear I experienced, the horror, the guilt?"

"You didn't set the basilisk on anybody, Ginny. Voldemort did," Harry said impatiently.

Ginny nodded in satisfaction. "Exactly."

Harry stared at her for a long moment, finally realizing just what she was trying to get across to him.

"It took me a long time to get over that, and to tell the truth, I still have nightmares about it. During my second year, I didn't have many friends-I had been so distant in my first year, and of course, everyone had heard rumors about what happened to me, so they were odd around me. Even my dormmates kept their distance at first. I don't even write in a diary at all anymore-after that year, I had no desire to write my feelings down on paper, even if that paper wasn't going to talk back. Sometimes, when I start feeling guilty, I have to remind myself that it was Voldemort, not me. But don't you think I felt low and stupid? I wrote in that diary, Harry. No one made me do it. I wrote in it, and I endangered your life, and the lives of the students in the school. I told Tom Riddle's diary about you, and that was what made him try to kill you." She continued to gaze at him sharply. "So don't tell me that I don't understand. I might not have gone through the same things as you, or to the extent that you have, but I understand better than you might think."

Stunned by her tirade, Harry honestly wasn't sure what to say. He had never known Ginny had gone through all that, never really thought about it. He had never realized, that in a strange way, their stories were connected. Both, in some form, had had their lives meddled with and manipulated by Voldemort. Ginny had almost died, because Voldemort was using her life to come back to life himself.

"The thing is, Harry...you won't ever really heal unless you can let it go and move on with life. To realize that what's happened has happened, and you can't change it. The past is in the past-" Ginny gave a wry smile "-at least most of the time. In your case, and in mine, our pasts our behind us. We've made mistakes, and we've regretted those mistakes. We have to live with the consequences of our choices-but Harry...we have to let ourselves live." Releasing his shoulders, she took a step back.

"I..." Harry licked his lips, and finally admitted to himself, as well as to Ginny, "I don't know how to let it go."

"By realizing that you're not the only one who made choices. I had to realize that. Lucius Malfoy chose to slip the diary to me, Tom Riddle chose to possess me, and you...you chose to come and save me." A smile crossed her face, and she continued, "Your mother chose to die for you. Cedric Diggory chose to take the Triwizard Cup, and Sirius chose to come and protect you. You have to accept that the people you love are going to make their own decisions. That day at the Ministry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Luna and I came with you of our own free wills. We could have died that day, and it wouldn't have been your fault. You can't make our choices for us."

Harry struggled with this. He could see what she meant, see that she was right, but...he didn't want his friends to choose to die for him. He didn't want to lose anyone else. He passed a hand over his face. "Sirius died for nothing." His voice was no longer angry, but hoarse and choked.

"No, not for nothing," Ginny said quietly. "He loved you. And something good came out of the Ministry mission, Harry. The rest of the world was alerted to Voldemort's presence. They saw, and they believed. Sirius may not have known it, but he gave the world a chance to defend itself. And as for Jamie's world...well, they've come back to stop it from happening. I have to believe that the future isn't certain, and that while you might have to destroy Voldemort, your future isn't written, either. Not all of it."

Harry swallowed hard. "I...I'll have to think about all this."

Ginny nodded, then offered him a half-smile. "Burdens aren't meant to rest on one person's shoulders alone, you know. That's what friends are for."

Her words brought to mind their conversation by the lake two days ago. Had it really only been two days? It seemed like an eternity. "Is this another one of your friendship lectures?" he asked wryly.

Ginny wrinkled her nose, then laughed. "I didn't mean it to be one." She and Harry stared at each other for a minute, and then she said, "Um...isn't it nearly time for Quidditch practice?"

Harry jumped and looked at his watch. He had forgotten all about it. "We're late!" He pulled the door open. "We'd better hurry into our Quidditch robes."

Ginny stepped past him into the corridor, and Harry grabbed her arm to stop her. "Ginny," he said hesitantly. "Um...thanks. I really will think about what you said."

Ginny smiled at him. "I know. Still friends, then?"

"Yeah," Harry said, half-smiling. "Still friends."

He hurried back to Gryffindor Tower with Ginny in silence, but this time, the quiet wasn't awkward. He hoped that Ginny was right about their future not being completely written. Jamie Potter was here, in this time, and she would always be...but that didn't mean that he and Ginny would had to have a daughter in this timeline, right?

Just friends, he thought, glancing at Ginny.

As Ginny gave the password to the Fat Lady, Harry realized that all of the things that had been weighing him down for many months seemed lighter, and he remembered Ginny's words. "Burdens aren't meant to rest on one person's shoulders alone, you know."

He stepped into the common room and watched Ginny dash up to the girls' dormitories. Something strange twisted in his chest, but before he had time to dwell on it, he was again brought to mind why he was here: he needed to get dressed and get to the Quidditch pitch. Some captain he was, if he showed up last.

He ran up to his empty dormitory and quickly changed.

Chapter Seventeen ~ Settling In

Jamie stood in Professor McGonagall's office with Remus Lupin, Molly, and Will. She had already said her good-byes to Shay-of course, Shay had simply told her not to cause too much disaster while she was at the Weasleys, if she could manage it. Ron and Hermione had stopped to bid her and Molly farewell, and then Ron had dragged Hermione off to dinner. Jamie knew that when they hadn't been having classes, both of Will's parents had been in the hospital wing with Will and Molly, getting to know them a bit.

"Take care of yourself, James," Will said, embracing her. He picked up Molly, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and passed her to Jamie.

"Oh, Will-I want you to keep this with you here. I think you'll need it more than I will." With the hand not supporting Molly, Jamie reached into her robes and pulled out an invisibility cloak. Harry's invisibility cloak. "Dumbledore returned it to me this afternoon," she said, a blush creeping across her cheeks. She was still embarrassed about forgetting it in the first place.

"Are you ready, then?" Remus asked gently. He had been briefed by Dumbledore on the situation, enough to know who Jamie, Will, and Molly's parents were.

Giving Will one last hug, Jamie nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She had rather hoped that she might have had the chance to see Harry and Ginny one last time before she left, but she really couldn't blame them for not coming. They probably didn't want anything to do with her...

"We'll be traveling by portkey," Remus said, motioning at a tin cup that sat on Professor McGonagall's desk.

Jamie nodded, hitching Molly up higher in her arms. "I'm-" she was cut off when the door to the office burst open. To her everlasting surprise, Harry and Ginny stood in the doorway, both dressed in Quidditch robes, and both panting for breath.

"Hermione...told us...you were leaving," Ginny gasped, catching her breath. "We were at Quidditch practice when she told us. We...er...wanted to at least come and see you off," she said, looking a bit awkward.

Harry looked even more out of sorts, but he nodded in agreement.

Jamie forced back tears that threatened her eyes. "Um...thank you." Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry...you'll only make them more uncomfortable. She cleared her throat. "I appreciate it. She stood uncertainly for a moment, and then said, "Well...I have to get going." She stepped over to the portkey, her eyes still locked on her young parents.

Silence ensued for a moment, and then Ginny cleared her own throat. "My mum can be a bit...um..." she searched for the right word. "Overpowering, sometimes," she said delicately.

Remus coughed, and Jamie thought he looked suspiciously like he was trying to hold back a laugh.

"But she means well," Ginny assured Jamie. "Don't let her intimidate you."

"And Ginny's dad is obsessed with Muggles," Harry put in. "So if you know anything about them, you can expect a thousand and one questions."

"And if you have any questions or concerns, you can always owl me," Ginny offered.

Jamie looked back and forth between Harry and Ginny, and managed a smile. "Thanks," she whispered.

Silence fell again, and Lupin finally said, "Jamie? Are you ready? I told Arthur and Molly we would be there before supper."

Jamie drew her attention away from Harry and Ginny. "Right."

Will gave his sister another quick kiss, and Lupin said quietly, "On three."

"Oh, and Jamie?"

Jamie paused and looked over at Ginny.

"Don't eat anything Fred and George offer you," Ginny advised, a wry smile on her face.

Jamie raised her eyebrows, but nodded.

"One...two...three." He and Jamie reached out to touch the portkey, and Jamie pulled Molly's hand down to touch it as well. In a flash, they were gone.

When the world reoriented, Jamie found herself standing in the middle of a kitchen. She recognized it instantly. It was the Burrow kitchen. Of course, it was in much better shape than she ever remembered seeing it. A pot of something was cooking on the stove, and a big wooden spoon was stirring it. Dishes scrubbed themselves in a sink full of soapy water, and a broom danced across the floor.

Molly's head popped up off of Jamie's shoulder, and she looked around the room.

"Welcome to the Burrow," Remus said with flourish.

He had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when a woman with graying red hair bustled into the kitchen. "I thought I heard you come in!" she exclaimed. She stopped dead in her tracks upon seeing Jamie and Molly, and stared at them for a long minute. Then, just as suddenly, she crossed the kitchen floor and had her arms around the two of them. She held them tightly for a moment, and then stepped back, saying, "Oh! Let me look at you!" She did just that, studying Jamie and Molly up and down with wonder on her face. "Of all the strange things..." she began. She shook her head. "Please, come in. Have a seat. We'll be having supper in about an hour, so that should give you some time to freshen up." She ushered Jamie over to a chair, and Jamie sat, settling Molly in her lap.

Scurrying over to the cupboard, Jamie's grandmother-what am I supposed to call her? I don't think Grammy is suiting in this case. I guess I'll just call her Mrs. Weasley-pulled out two cups. She pointed her wand into the cups, and something poured out of it. "Here you go," she said kindly, setting the cups in front of Jamie. "You look a bit rattled, dear. Hot chocolate should help. Remus? Would you like any?"

"No, thank you, Molly. I really must be going. I have business to attend to."

Mrs. Weasley nodded knowingly. "Well, thank you for bringing them safely to us."

"Of course." Smiling at Jamie, Remus said, "I'll be sure to come and visit. I have many questions, if you are willing to answer them, of course."

Jamie could only nod, swallowing hard. As much as she knew he had to go, she didn't want him to. She had so many things she wished she could say to him, but knew that none of it would be relevant to this Remus Lupin. He'll be back. He just said he would, Jamie reminded herself.

Still smiling, Remus Disapparated with a loud crack.

Jamie stared down at her hot chocolate, then picked it up and took a sip. It was just the right temperature. She tested Molly's drink to make sure it wasn't too hot and handed it to the little girl. Molly looked down at the cup, then up at Jamie, who nodded encouragingly. Finally, Molly raised the cup to her lips and took a sip.

Mrs. Weasley sank into the chair across from them. "Oh, I'm so glad that Dumbledore called us last night. We were surprised, to say the least, but..." she trailed off. "So you're really my Ginny's little girl?"

Jamie looked up and met Mrs. Weasley's eyes. To her surprise, she realized there were tears in them. "Um...yes. Ginny was my mother."

Mrs. Weasley pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her eyes. "I always hoped she would get together with Harry," she said conspiratorially. "He's such a sweet boy. Now, you're Jamie, aren't you?"

Jamie nodded.

Mrs. Weasley turned her attention on Molly. "And I heard that you're Molly. Very good name, if I may say so myself," she told her in a gentle voice. "Is that right?"

Jamie winced. Of course-Dumbledore hadn't known about Molly's condition, and so he hadn't told Mrs. Weasley. Brown eyes wide, Molly simply stared at Mrs. Weasley, clutching her cup of hot chocolate in her hands. Jamie felt bad telling Mrs. Weasley what was wrong with her right in front of Molly, but she knew that being in a strange house, with unfamiliar people, Molly was going to be sticking to her side like glue for several days. There might not be a good opportunity to say this.

"Molly...Molly doesn't talk," she finally told Mrs. Weasley, who looked back up at her.

"Doesn't talk to strangers?" Mrs. Weasley wondered.

"No. She doesn't talk at all. She was...hurt very badly when she was a baby." She didn't want to say any more than that in front of Molly.

"Oh! Poor little dear!" Mrs. Weasley looked at Molly in sympathy. "Now, young Molly here is Ronnie's, Dumbledore said."

Jamie nodded in affirmation. "And Hermione's."

Mrs. Weasley sighed and shook her head. "You know, I predicted that coming from a years ago! I was surprised to hear it, but it really does make sense. Two people who argue as much as they do would have to end up together. That's rather how it was with Arthur and me," she added thoughtfully.

Jamie's eyebrows rose, but she didn't argue with Mrs. Weasley's logic. That's not always true, she thought, or by that notion, Shay and I would wind up together. That idea almost made her burst out laughing.

"Well, now. Don't you worry a bit," Mrs. Weasley said. "We'll make sure you're both taken care of. Now then, why don't you finish your hot chocolate, and I'll show you to your room? I've set you both up in Charlie's old bedroom."

Mrs. Weasley left them in Charlie's old room. "I'll come fetch you when supper is ready, if you want to get settled in. Of course, you're welcome to go anywhere in the Burrow that you want. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you," Jamie said. She set Molly down on the floor, and she clung to Jamie's robes. "It's all right, Molly. We're going to be staying here for a while, all right?" She looked around the room. It might have been Charlie's, but Mrs. Weasley had obviously spent the morning re-decorating the bedroom. There were two beds, covered in brightly-colored patchwork quilts. A trunk sat at the bottom of each bed, and there was a cushioned rocking chair in the middle of the room. One of the beds had numerous stuffed animals on it. For Molly, Jamie thought. Portraits of moving landscapes hung on several walls.

She walked forward to the trunk at the bottom of her bed and opened it. When she checked Molly's trunk, she found that it, too, had small articles of clothing in it. Tears threatened her eyes, and she hugged Molly. "These are for you," she whispered. "And so are the toys. You can play with them if you want to." She pointed at the stuffed animals.

Molly looked up at her solemnly for a minute, and then peeled herself away from Jamie. She wandered over to the bed and climbed up, digging through the pile of toys until she found one that she liked. Once she had the fluffy stuffed dragon in her arms, she buried herself amidst the other toys. If it hadn't been for her bright hair, Jamie thought laughingly, she might have missed seeing her.

Jamie was sorting through the trunks when a knock sounded on the door. Thinking that it was Mrs. Weasley, she called, "Come in!" The door opened and she turned. She was surprised when she realized that it wasn't Mrs. Weasley, but two young men. Two identical young men, except that one of them had much shorter hair than the other, only half an inch or so in length.

"Hi, there," the one with longer hair said.

"We just arrived and thought we'd come introduce ourselves," said the other one.

Jamie smiled. "You must be-"

"I'm Fred. This is George. And you're Jamie Potter," the boy with longer hair stated.

Jamie nodded.

"She really does look like Harry, doesn't she?" George asked Fred.

Fred nodded in agreement. "Not much like Ginny, though. And no red hair."

"Or freckles," George interjected.

"Are you sure you're half-Weasley?"

Jamie blinked at them. Was she actually supposed to answer that? "Um..."

"Not very talkative, are you? Mum told us about you-well, she told us a little about you," Fred amended. "She told all of the family, since we're in and out of here all the time. Well, except Percy. I don't think she told him. Prat that he is-oh, he admitted last summer that he 'might have been a little brash,' but he didn't even apologize."

Jamie wasn't quite sure what he was talking about. Her Uncle Percy had been one of those that disappeared from the wizarding world-it had happened during her father's seventh year and her mother's sixth. No one knew what happened to him. Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione hadn't talked about him much, except to say that he had been a stickler for whatever the Ministry believed, and that he hadn't gotten along that well with the Weasleys for several years before he vanished.

"He's too pompous for apologies, Percy is," George agreed. "He thinks he's too good for us. He's not part of the-" Here, he broke off and exchanged glances with Fred.

"The Order?" Jamie asked, eyebrows raised. "Yes, I know all about it," she assured them.

"Well, then. Precisely right; Percy's not part of Order at all-doesn't even know about it." George shook his head. "Don't worry, though. None of the rest of us will tell anything about you-we're sworn to secrecy. Say, do you want a Canary Cream?" He held out his hand, in which a candy rested.

Jamie blinked again at this abrupt change in subject. She didn't really remember her Uncles Fred and George, but she had heard numerous stories about them. Hearing stories was one thing, though-meeting them was something else entirely. Right now they both wore extremely innocent looks, and Ginny's final words came back to her:"Don't eat anything Fred and George offer you." "Um..." she said again.

"Fred! George!" Mrs. Weasley appeared at the door. "I thought I told you not to pester the poor girl! And...is that one of your Canary Creams? I told you I do not want to see any of your merchandise in this house! And no experimenting! It's bad enough that George spent a month being green and bald! Now out!"

"Aw, Mum, we were just trying to be nice," George said in an offended sort of way.

"Really! Can't the poor girl get a nice welcome from her uncles?" Fred asked indignantly.

"OUT!" Mrs. Weasley repeated loudly.

Winking at Jamie, Fred and George disappeared downstairs.

Once they were gone, Mrs. Weasley smiled kindly at Jamie. "Don't mind them, dear. They're always into mischief." She sighed.

Jamie hid a smile. "It's all right."

"I just wanted to let you know that Bill and Charlie are coming over for supper. They both wanted to meet you. Charlie's been teaching at Hogwarts," Mrs. Weasley added.

Jamie nodded. "Will told me."

Mrs. Weasley brightened. "Now, Will is also Ron and Hermione's?"

"Yes. He's Molly's brother," Jamie said. She turned to go back into the room, but stopped and added, "Oh, and thank you for...for everything." She waved her hand to indicate the room. "It means a lot."

"Oh, you're welcome, dear." Mrs. Weasley beamed. "Supper should be ready in about ten minutes."

Jamie couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy, or had this much fun. Supper was a splendid affair-with her grandparents and four of her uncles in attendance, there wasn't a dull moment, especially with Fred and George present. No one asked her about her past, though Fred and George certainly tried. Every time they did, Mrs. Weasley cut them off with a sharp glare and said, "We're not going to talk about it right now. Give Jamie some peace while she eats. Besides, she might not want to tell you, anyway. It might not be safe for you to know." Which, of course, made Fred and George want to hear it all the more.

Bill filled the family in on his work at Gringotts, and Charlie talked about the Care of Magical Creatures class that he was teaching while Hagrid was away. The dragon egg that the class was caring for had hatched, he said, and Oscar the Antipodean Opaleye had emerged. Fred and George were full of tales about running their joke shop. Mr. Weasley told about his day, in which he had been tracing down teakettles that had been sold the the Muggle community. These teakettles apparently spat hot water at anyone who tried to use them.

Toward the end of the meal, Molly, who was seated on a chair next to Jamie, reached over and pinched Jamie's leg. That was Molly's signal that she needed to use the bathroom-yet another indication that Molly did, in fact, understand and learn things. When Will and Jamie had decided to attempt to potty-train her, they hadn't been sure if it would even work. It had been hard, especially for fifteen-year-olds who knew nothing about it, but it had not been impossible. Their success had been very encouraging.

Once she had taken Molly to the bathroom, the family had dessert, and by the time everyone began to head out to their respective homes-Bill to an flat in London, Charlie to Hogwarts, and Fred and George to a flat above their joke shop-Molly had fallen asleep, her legs on her chair and her head in Jamie's lap.

"Can I help you clean up?" Jamie asked Mrs. Weasley, after her uncles had Disapparated or used the Floo network to leave.

"Oh, no, no! All you need to worry about is heading for bed. You look exhausted. We'll talk more in the morning, all right?"

Jamie nodded. She picked up Molly. "Thank you," she told Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. As she headed upstairs, she couldn't help feeling, for the first time that she could remember, that she was home.

Back at Hogwarts, things continued in a fairly normal manner. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville slowly adjusted to the fact that their future children existed, and in some cases were in classes with them, and pretty soon, it had simply become part of their lives. Several things of significance happened; one occurred when Neville came stumbling into the common room about a week after finding out about Shay. He was extremely pale, and he sank into a chair across from Ginny, who was working on her homework. Ron and Will were also present, playing a game of wizard's chess.

"Neville? What's wrong?" Ginny asked.

"I...I..." Neville began. He stopped and shook his head, looking rather dazed. "I talked to Shay," he said quickly.

Will sat up straight, startled. "You what?"

"I talked to Shay," Neville repeated. "I...I told him that I knew who he was. And I told him that I'm sorry."

Will stared at Neville. "You told him...that you're sorry," he repeated, as if he couldn't believe his ears.

"Yes. I told him that I'm sorry that the future me never got to know him."

"And...what did he say?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing." Neville looked around at Ginny, Ron, and Will. "He just gave me a look that could kill a basilisk, and turned and walked away."

Will sank back in his chair. "Neville..." he stopped, hesitated, and tried again. "Shay...he has a lot of issues with his father. He's my best friend, and it's not my business to talk about it, but...well, thank you. For saying that to him."

Neville smiled wanly at Will, heaving a sigh. "I know I haven't really done anything to him...but...well, I felt better saying it to him anyway," he confessed.

September turned into October, and the month passed very quickly. The Hogwarts Coalition continued to meet and grow in members, and many of the Slytherins were still intent on trying to cause any damage that they could to the Coalition. Madam Pomfrey was irate at the number of students who ended up in her hospital wing because they had boils growing on their face, or worms slithering out of their ears. Teachers were even more hard-pressed to maintain order in the corridors and in some cases, the classrooms.

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Will, Shay, and Neville took turns scanning the Marauder's Map at least once a night, and kept an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious. They kept an especially close eye on Dumbledore and his activities. Harry was sure the headmaster noticed this, but he never commented on it.

Hermione was frequently seen scouring the library, a completely common occurrence for her. She looked everywhere she could to see if she could find out what had killed Dumbledore in the future. "This is so frustrating!" she said one day. "There are numerous curses that can kill someone-Avada Kedavra, obviously, is the most efficient. But there are other spells...like the one Peter Pettigrew used to blow up all of those Muggles on the street years ago. I've found different mentions of curses that will burn someone...I just don't know! I can see why the Ministry officials wouldn't have been certain-they wanted to study the body to see just what curse had been used," she sighed. "I suppose that's a dead-end. Any learned witch or wizard could have performed one of the curses."

Ginny took to writing to Jamie, "to make sure she's surviving the family," and Jamie always wrote back. She had settled very well at the Burrow, and shared stories of things that had happened to her, which Ginny sometimes reiterated for the others. She hadn't told the Weasleys much about her future-she had told them she preferred not to talk about it, for the safety of everyone involved, and they respected that. Fred and George, Jamie wrote, paid frequent visits to the Burrow, and delighted in slipping their Wizard Wheezes into things she was eating or drinking. Mrs. Weasley was irate at the number of times Jamie had suddenly sprouted a nosebleed, or began to vomit, or had fainted in the middle of the living room. I would stop eating and drinking whenever Fred and George are around, Jamie said, but they often do it before I realize they're at the Burrow!

Molly, she told Ginny, was flourishing. She had become comfortable with the Weasleys, and would often trail Mr. Weasley around the house, or sit on Mrs. Weasley's lap while she was read a story. Fred and George had the decency not to bother her. Your Mum's threatened them with death if they do, Jamie confided.

Their first Hogsmeade weekend came just before Halloween, and Dumbledore gave Will and Shay special permission to attend. Ginny laughingly said, "Well, I suppose Ron or Hermione could write a note for you, Will, but somehow I don't think Filch would be satisfied with that."

On Halloween, while Harry was eating breakfast in the decked-out Great Hall, Ginny slid down into the seat beside him. "Do you want to sign this? Everyone else already has." She passed Harry a card.

Harry looked down at it. On the outside of the card was a picture of a lit birthday cake, the candles in the picture flickering. He opened the card, and a chorus of voices shouted, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" They then began to sing a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday to You."

"It's for Jamie," Ginny informed him. "Today's her sixteenth birthday, remember?"

"Yes." Harry stared at the card for a minute, and then signed his name on it, passing it back to Ginny.

"Thanks." She smiled and stood up. "I'm going to take this to the owlery. I'm sending Jamie a box of Honeydukes chocolates. I doubt she's ever had them before, andeveryone should try Honeydukes chocolate at least once. And if I don't send them now, I'm going to end up eating them myself, and then I'll have to buy another box. The self-restraint I've already exerted is extraordinary." She grinned and headed out of the Great Hall.

Harry thought long and hard all day, and finally, when classes were over, he slipped up to his dormitory. Going over to his bedside cabinet, he pulled out a photo album that Hagrid had given him at the end of his first year. He leafed through the pictures of his smiling, waving parents. He finally found one that had James and Lily Potter standing in front of a small house, their arms wrapped around each other. He stared at it for a minute, then pulled it out of the album.

He grabbed ink and a quill and flipped the picture over. On the back, he scribbled, Jamie-I thought you might like this picture. These are my parents, about a year before I was born. Harry. He hesitated, then wrote, Happy birthday. He tucked it into an envelope, then took it to the owlery so Hedwig could deliver it.

Two days later, he received a response. Dear Harry, thank you so much for the beautiful photograph. It means more to me than I can say. I've hung it on my wall so I can look at it all the time. Love, Jamie.

Besides adjusting to his present life and situation, Harry's mind was on the first upcoming Quidditch match of the season. It was coming up fast, and he was fitting in as many extra practices as he could without running his team ragged. He kept an extra-close eye on Sari, since he knew that no matter what distractions had come Draco Malfoy's way the last two months, he had yet to exact revenge on her. It would be so like him to wait until just before the Quidditch match to try to do something to sabotage her, and Harry was determined not to let it happen.

He also heard from Angelina Johnson, his former Quidditch teammate and the second captain he'd ever had. She arrived at Hogwarts several days before the Quidditch match. "I just thought I'd come watch the game," she said. "For old time's sake." She grinned at him. "I knew you'd become captain one day."

Harry half-smiled. "I'm trying do a good job. I'm starting to realize just how you and Oliver must have felt, though." He shook his head. "It's a lot of work."

"It is. But it's rewarding," Angelina told him.

"So what are you up to these days?" Harry asked.

"I just got accepted onto the Appleby Arrows Quidditch team," Angelina said, grinning. "They lost one of their Chasers-he got whacked in the head with a Bludger. Still in St. Mungo's, poor chap."

"Oh. Well, congratulations...I am sorry about the other player, but not sorry you're on the team."

"So what's new with you, Harry?"

Harry thought about Jamie, about everything that he was trying to help prevent, and said, "Um...nothing much. Well," he conceded, "Ron and Hermione are dating." It was a perfectly normal occurence for him to think about now. They still had their fights-which sometimes escalated into shouting matches-but they always made up, and wound up as goggle-eyed about each other as ever. After one such match that half of Gryffindor House was witness to, Will had looked at him and said, "They do get better. Really."

"I heard," Angelina grinned again. "Katie mentioned it in one of her letters. I always figured it would happen sooner or later. So tell me about your team. What are your tactics? What have Slytherin's moves been this year?"

Harry launched into a detailed account, and Angelina listened in rapt attention. When he was finished, she clapped him on the shoulder. "Sounds like you're doing a great job," she said.

"Thanks." Harry grinned.

"Well, I'd best get going. I want to say hello to Katie and some other friends. I'll catch you around, Harry."

"See you, Angelina."

Chapter Eighteen ~ The Howler

"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks flashed him a grin as he settled into his seat for Wednesday's session of Double Defense Against the Dark Arts. Her hair was waist-length and an interesting shade of green today, and she had half of it piled up in curls on her head.

"'lo, Tonks," Harry smiled back, but his mind was still on Saturday's upcoming Quidditch match. He kept running things over in his mind, to make sure he had thought to tell his teammates everything.

When all of the class was settled, Tonks sat down on the edge of her desk. "Now, all of you brought your Reciprocated Mirrors today?"

Harry set the small, round Reciprocated Mirror onto his desk; Tonks had asked them to bring them to this class. Ginny, Katie, and Sari have the Porskoff Ploy worked out pretty well...I need to get Daniel and Andrew to practice the feint with the Bludger one more time so the girls' have a full advantage...

"All right, now! Who can tell me what a Reciprocated Mirror-oh, blast!" There was a loud crashing noise. Harry was jerked out of his thoughts to see that Tonks had accidentally knocked her own Mirror onto the floor.

The class was used to Tonks' frequent accidents. She did all right as long as there was nothing breakable around; of course, there were the times when she would bang her shin against a desk... There were also several memorable incidents; during one of her first classes, she had tripped over the leg of her chair, and her wand had gone flying. It had smacked Lavender Brown in the head and turned her entirely purple. Madam Pomfrey had been able to turn her all the way back to normal, except for the violet hair, which had faded over the period of a week.

"Oops. Reparo." Tonks waved her wand, and the Reciprocated Mirror repaired itself. Scooping it up off the ground, Tonks set it carefully on the desk. "Now, who can tell me about the Mirrors? Yes, Neville."

Neville cleared his throat. "The Reciprocated Mirrors were invented quite a while ago, but people started buying and selling them a lot after the news of You-Know-Who's return got out," he said. "They're recording devices. My gran has them set up all over our house."

"Exactly!" Tonks beamed at Neville. "The Ministry originally developed them for surveillance purposes, but as Neville said, they became widely available to the general public this summer. They're rather like a Gourl, which just started being sold last spring."

Harry stopped thinking about Quidditch and focused on what Tonks was saying. The Gourl had been the cause of a great deal of troubles already...

"The Gourl, you see, records information that you can play back to hear. You can carry it to classes with you to take notes; things like that. A Reciprocated Mirror works in much the same way, except that it records whatever it sees when it is activated with a spell. Then, it can be played back with another spell. Many witches and wizards are having them installed in their houses-as Neville said his grandmother is doing-so that if they come under any kind of attack, the Ministry will be able to see who did the attacking."

Harry thought about the mirror that had been in Voldemort's possession...the one that he looked in and thought he was seeing Harry's life at Hogwarts...the one that had been fed false information from the Gourl. Had it been some sort of Reciprocated Mirror? It was quite likely.

"It's like a video camera!" Dean Thomas exclaimed with enthusiasm.

"Quite right!" Tonks agreed with a grin. She looked at several confused students and said, "A video camera is a Muggle visual recording device. My dad's Muggleborn, and he always had Muggle contraptions and appliances around the house. He's also a Quidditch referee, and when I was growing up, he would sometimes be gone for a couple of days at a time. He would bring his video camera with him, and set it to film the match so I could watch it. Now, I'm going to be teaching you how to use these Mirrors today. You just might find a use for them sometime-and no, that does not include hiding them in any of the girls' showers," she said pointedly to the boys.

The class snickered.

"The Reciprocated Mirrors are small enough to keep in your pocket, and you just might come across a time when there is something you need to record visually in a hurry. You never know when some devices might come in handy," Tonks said. "Right...now point your wand at your Mirror and say, 'recordus.' That's the activation spell..." She waited for them to do as she'd asked. "Right, now they should be recording. Now, to stop them recording, simply use 'finite incantatem.' To get the Mirror to show you what it has recorded, you touch it with your wand and say, 'revelo imagus.' Now, your assignment for today is to practice using these. All right? Any questions?"

No one raised their hands, and Tonks nodded. "Good. Moving on...we're going to begin talking about a subject that Aurors study to protect their minds against intrusion-Occlumency."

Ginny yawned, peering blurrily at her History of Magic essay. She still needed six more inches of writing, and she couldn't think of what else to say about this stupid goblin war. She could only say so much about lots of blood and people with really weird names. She knew she should be asleep; tomorrow was Friday, the day before the Quidditch match, and Harry had already warned the team he would be getting them up early.

She heard footsteps coming down the boys' staircase, and glanced over to see who was up so late. She was mildly surprised when Will emerged, clutching something in his hands. "And I thought I was the only one who stayed up this late."

Startled, Will looked over at the couch where she sat, with her single light burning on end table. "Ginny...sorry, I didn't think anyone would be up..." he said awkwardly. "I just...I should go back to bed."

Ginny's eyebrows rose. "It's all right, Will...you can continue with whatever you came down here to do, and I promise if you sneak out the portrait hole, I won't tell McGonagall." She winked at him to show she was teasing.

Will relaxed slighly, and gave her his familiar smile that had come to remind her of Ron's. "I'm not sneaking out. I just...didn't want to turn on a light and wake anyone in my dorm, but I wanted to look at this..." He shrugged helplessly, clutching the item in his hands more tightly.

"What's that?" Ginny asked, nodding at it.

Will looked down. "It's...photographs," he finally said. He sighed, and came to sit beside her on the couch. He set the object he was holding on his lap, and Ginny saw that it was a photo album. "When we came back to this time, we mostly brought things that we would need-money, the map, the invisibility cloak...but there were some things we brought because we didn't want to lose them, and because we thought they might be important-my mum's journal...this photo album..."

Ginny's interest was piqued. "Are there pictures of Ron and Hermione in there? The future them, I mean."

Will nodded. He hesitated, then said, "There are pictures of you in here, too."

Pictures of me... Ginny stared at the book. Part of her was extremely curious and wanted to ask to see the photographs, and part of her was hesitant about it. It was one thing to hear about her future self, but to see it was something else entirely. Her curiosity overwhelmed her hesitance, and she said, "Would you mind if I...if I see them?"

"Only if you're sure you want to," Will said. "I don't want to make you...uncomfortable."

Ginny laughed. "Oh, Will. I'm far past the stage of being uncomfortable about this whole situation. I'm in correspondence with my sixteen-year-old daughter."

Will gave her another half-smile, and said, "All right, then. It's in chronological order..." With an obvious tenderness, he flipped open the album and pointed to the first picture on the front page.

Ginny's eyes widened, and she grinned at the picture of Ron, Harry, and Hermione. All of them were waving, and Ron appeared to be cheering. "Graduation day?"

"Yes."

"Look at Ron and Hermione staring at each other...they still look all starry-eyed," Ginny chuckled. She watched their photographic selves smile broadly, and Ron gave Hermione a kiss on the lips. Will motioned to the next page, which revealed two more pictures of Ron and Hermione. Ginny couldn't help noticing that while they were obviously happy, there were shadows on their faces that shouldn't have been there. Of course...Dumbledore was dead, and the world was falling into ruin... she thought.

When Will flipped to the next page, Ginny's jaw dropped. She quickly closed it and stared at the picture. "That's..." Don't be stupid, Ginny! You knew there were pictures of you in here...and you know that Jamie said her parents got together during Harry's seventh year and my sixth... Ginny couldn't take her eyes off of the photo, in which she and Harry were standing in front of the lake outside of Hogwarts. They had their arms wrapped around each other, and were both smiling. The first thing Ginny noticed was how completely comfortable the image of herself appeared in Harry's arms. They just looked so...perfect together. So right. Ginny swallowed a lump in her throat as the photographic image of Harry leaned down to whisper something in Ginny's ear, and Ginny appeared to be laughing.

The second thing she noticed were the worry lines on Harry's forehead. "When was this?" she asked Will. He'd said they were in chronological order, so it had to be after Harry's graduation...but he was still at Hogwarts.

"Your seventh year," Will replied. "The Order was trying to bring the wizarding community together. They worked out of Hogwarts for a year." He looked at her closely, as if trying to gauge her reaction. "Are you all right?"

Ginny felt another pang as she looked once more at the picture of the future Harry and Ginny...the future them that might not happen. "I'm fine," she said quickly, averting her eyes to the next picture. "That's Neville," she said in surprise. "And Luna Lovegood."

"I don't know much about her," Will said, motioning at Luna. "She disappeared before I was born...no doubt one of Voldemort's many victims. She was part of the Order's movement, though."

Ginny looked at the picture next to it. "Is that...Gabrielle Delacour?"

"Yes. This is her in her second year-your seventh."

Ginny studied the picture. Gabrielle's silvery-blond hair fell down her back, and in her blue eyes, Ginny could see a strange mixture of laughter and grim determination. She's only twelve in this...but her eyes look...old. She looks like someone who's seen a lot. Of course, Beauxbatons had been attacked in Gabrielle's first year there...had she seen the attack? Most likely...who knew how many people had died? Who knew if she had seen friends killed? She looked again the picture of Neville and Luna, and tried to imagine Neville and Gabrielle together...it was difficult, but not impossible.

Will continued to flip through the photo album, and Ginny began to notice that most of the people in the pictures had the same, worn, knowing expression in their eyes...looking at the pictures of herself was a bit disturbing, because she watched the change occur in her own eyes as well. It's not fair! It's not right! Everyone was dealing with more than they should have had to.

There were pictures of their wedding days. "Not much of a wedding," Will admitted, pointing to Ron and Hermione's picture. "They were in hiding, so they couldn't exactly invite friends and stuff. They just threw on their best robes and had a ceremony."

Ginny gazed at the picture of her brother and his girlfriend...well, wife, in the picture. Despite the aged eyes, they were both beaming. She choked back tears. They deserve more than that...they deserve to have a big wedding, with lots of people, and feel free to stuff themselves with cake and punch...

Equally distressing was the photograph of Harry and Ginny's marriage. It looked very similar to Ron and Hermione's, and Ginny once again felt herself overwhelmed with emotion. "How...how old was I? When we married?" she whispered. She knew Jamie had been born in October of 2004, which made Ginny twenty-three at the time of her birth.

"Nineteen," Will said simply. "My parents married a year before that." The photographs continued, and some faces, Ginny didn't recognize. Will explained each one to her. "That's Thea Biggs; she was a witch from Scotland...her family was tortured and killed... That's Matthias Elister; he was a Muggle, but he fought right alongside the wizarding community... That's Wesley Fox; he was a wizard who sacrificed himself and took seven Death Eaters with him..."

The pages were full of unsung heroes, those from Will's time that would forever be forgotten, save by Will, Shay, and Jamie. Ginny was touched and honored that Will was allowing her to take part in this memory. There were more pictures of Ron and Hermione, and Harry and Ginny. She watched as Gabrielle Delacour grew up, transforming into a gorgeous young woman. She looked very much like Fleur, but she had her own unique face and smile, and there was a stubbornness to her features that Ginny liked. At last came the picture of what Will said was Gabrielle and Neville's wedding ceremony, though if Ginny hadn't been told as much, she wouldn't have thought it was a wedding. Both Gabrielle and Neville were wearing plain robes, and they were standing in front of a half-crumbled wall. Still, there was a light in both of their faces, and Ginny was astounded at the transformation in Neville. She had never seen him look so...alive.

Shortly after that, Will, Shay, and Jamie made their appearance in the albums. Ginny brushed away tears when she saw an image of her older self rocking a dark-haired baby in her arms, and she thought her heart would break when she saw the photo of Harry tossing a toddler Jamie up into the air. There weren't nearly as many pictures of the children as their had been photos in the beginning, but she studied each one with care, paying special attention to the ones of Jamie...she watched her future daughter change from a baby, to a pig-tailed little girl, to an adolescent. Will explained, "We didn't have much film...it was sort of stretched to last so we could have some pictures of ourselves growing up. The last pictures that were taken were just before my parents died."

He was right; the last picture in the album was that of Will, Shay, and Jamie. Jamie stood in between the two boys, her arms wrapped around them, a grinning straight at Ginny. The moving picture of Shay rolled his eyes, and Will shook his head. "She had really long hair," Ginny said, touching the moving image of Jamie Potter, whose black hair dropped down to her waist.

"Yes...well, she still would..." Will said. "About a year ago, there was an...um...accident," he said awkwardly. He wore an expression that made Ginny think there was something about this 'accident' that he didn't want to say, and he was trying to think of a way to explain it without giving something away. "An accident," he repeated, nodding consideringly. "Shay...sort of...burned most of Jamie's hair off. She was really, really upset about it, and she's growing it out again..."

Ginny's first thought was, Shay was the cause of an accident? He didn't strike her as the sort of person to cause accidents at all-he always seemed very careful and very wary. Well, I guess that's why they call them 'accidents.' Everyone has them...except Will didn't seem entirely sure that this should be called an accident. And I very seriously doubt that Shay would have burned Jamie's hair on purpose! She shook her head. She was probably trying to see more to this than was actually there; a side-effect of growing up with Fred and George. "Why doesn't she just do a Hair-Lengthening Charm?" Ginny wondered.

Will's eyebrows rose. "It's not something any of us ever learned to do," he said simply. "We were too busy learning defense and attack spells."

Stupid, Ginny! Of course...they didn't have normal childhoods. Ginny looked back at the picture. "I'll have to teach it to her when I see her," she said consideringly. She yawned, once more realizing how exhausted she was. Guess I'll try to finish my History of Magic paper before breakfast, she thought resignedly. "Thanks for sharing these with me, Will." She laid a hand on his shoulder for a moment, then stood up. "I'm heading off to bed now."

"Good night, Ginny."

Ginny headed up the staircase, looking back once to see Will pouring through the photo album again. We have to stop that future. We just have to.

Shay Longbottom was not used to being disconcerted, and it had happened far too often lately for his comfort. Starting with Neville Longbottom, who had actually approached him a month earlier and apologized for his future self never knowing Shay. Emotions that Shay had long buried-and continued to bury, everytime they came up-had risen dangerously close to the surface. He had clamped his mouth shut to keep from saying anything he knew he would regret, turned, and stormed away from Neville. Neville's words had brought out the argument he had had with Jamie weeks earlier.

"You might be in Slytherin and he in Gryffindor, Shay, but he's your father. If I was there, I'd be doing everything I could to get to know my parents. This might be the only chance you'll ever have to get to know him a little bit. Why are you scared of it?"

"I'm not scared!"

"You might be able to pull that on someone else, but I've known you my whole life, Seamus Longbottom. You are scared. So don't pull that 'I'm not scared of anything' load of nonsense on me. You're scared, and you're angry at your father. You always have been."

"Shut up!"

"You feel betrayed, and you feel like he betrayed your moth-"

And then Shay had cursed her to keep her from speaking.

Shay had blocked everything she had said from his mind, just like so many other things. They all were filed into the 'do not touch' part of his brain, but Neville had unwittingly brought them out again.

There was so much that he had always wanted to say to his father, and he had never had the chance to do so. There was no sense in saying it to Neville; he was just a sixteen-year-old in this time, and had not yet done anything for which Shay could be angry. All the same, he was. He was furious at Neville. Yes, he respected his father for what he had been, but the anger overwhelmed that, as irrational as that anger was.

Like so many times before, he had gotten his emotions under control, and he tried to go on as normally as he could. Except even in that, he failed. Every time that he saw Neville in their shared classes, anytime he caught his eye during meals, anytime Neville offered him a cautious smile in the corridors, Shay felt all the suppressed emotions struggle to rise out of his control.

And he hated it, and hated that Neville-clumsy, round-faced Neville-caused such upheaval in him. He had moments where he wanted to talk to someone about it, which was rare enough. Shay simply did not talk about his feelings with anybody. Must be Jamie's influence rubbing off on me, he sighed to himself. She's always gung-ho about 'expressing your feelings,' he snorted.

He couldn't let himself talk to anyone, though. Will wouldn't understand-he had known his parents most of his life; Will hadn't had to deal with the same situation in his parentage that Shay did. Jamie would probably understand better, considering who her father was, but he just couldn't talk to her about it, either. Too much pride got in the way-Shay Longbottom could handle himself, thank you very much.

Shay did see Will quite often; the Hogwarts Coalition gave them the perfect excuse to be seen together in the hallways. Besides that, all of Hogwarts believed that they had transferred from the same school, so no one had a problem thinking that they had been friends for a long time. But he couldn't see Will all the time, and besides that, Will was busy with everyone in Gryffindor. Shay found himself spending more time with Blaise Zabini-they had an unspoken agreement; Shay didn't ask about Blaise's past or how he ended up starting a Slytherin uprising, and Blaise didn't ask of Shay's past.

Shay would never have admitted it, but he missed Jamie. He missed exchanging sarcastic remarks with her, and even putting up with her lectures and headstrong opinions. They had always kept each other on their toes.

Jamie did owl him, about the same time that Neville spoke to him. Her letter was long and detailed, telling of everything that she had been doing at the Burrow. Professor Dumbledore has come up with a way of schooling me outside of Hogwarts. He gives curriculum to Bill Weasley, who then gives it to me. Bill has been tutoring me and helping me with the practical application of what I'm learning. He's a good guy, Shay.

Shay thought about writing back, but really didn't have much to say. Besides, he would actually have to sit down with a quill and ink and try to get the words onto paper, and that was just annoying.

However, after her third letter to him, she wrote, I know you're not much of a letter-writer, but I want to know that you're all right, and I want to hear it from you and not just from Will. So if you don't write me back this time, then the next note I send to you is going to be a Howler.

Shay had rolled his eyes, but sent her a brief note, knowing that she would indeed owl him a Howler if he didn't. The last thing he needed the school hearing was a girlshouting at him-he didn't even want to imagine what she would be bellowing. She would probably make it as embarrassing as possible-it would be just the sort of thing she would do, and she certainly knew enough about him to make it excruciatingly mortifying. And he wouldn't put it past her to simply make something up if she felt like it, which, considering her imagination, could prove even worse than the truth.

Jamie also sent him a small package, with an attached memo. I'm sending this courtesy of Fred and George. They wanted me to pay, but I told them I had earned it after everything I've been subjected to at their hands. They might be pranksters, but some of their inventions are quite useful. I thought you might be able to use them, especially if Draco gives you any trouble...you know, just slip a bit of Ton-Tongue Toffee onto his plate. Enclosed was an assortment of Fred and George's illness-inducing treats, as well as several sets of Extendable Ears, which Shay thought might end up coming in very handy.

Shay had also been avoiding the attention of other girls in Hogwarts. Rowan, the Ravenclaw who had stuck to him like glue for a week, had finally given up on him. For some reason that Shay couldn't quite pinpoint, he had lost his desire to have anything to do with the girls at Hogwarts. He attributed it to the distractions Neville posed, his busy work with the Coalition, and the watch he still kept for anything that could relate to their mission here in the past.

The evening before the much-anticipated Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, he was sitting in one of the high-backed chairs in the Slytherin common room. It was well past midnight, and though he had classes in the morning, Shay couldn't sleep. It was habit, he supposed, from when he was very little. His mother used to have nights when she was unable to sleep, and Shay often found himself waking up and going to find her in whatever hole they were staying in. He remembered his mother as a very strong-willed, stubborn woman, but she always seemed to carry a weight and a sadness with her. Instead of telling Shay to go back to bed, she would hold out her arms and let him sit with her, telling him stories in her native French.

Shay tiredly rubbed a hand across his forehead, blinking memories of long-forgotten tales out of his mind. It was no use dwelling on that past. It was far in the past-well, the future, technically-and nothing he could do would bring back the mother he had known. Gabrielle Delacour was a ten-year-old child in this time.

Shay was just thinking about getting up and heading to bed when he heard soft footsteps pattering through the common room. The high back of the chair he was sitting in prevented him from seeing who it was. The exit door swung open, then closed with a click.

Immediately alert, Shay pelted toward his dormitory, digging the Marauder's Map out of his trunk, careful not to wake any of his sleeping dormmates. It was his week to have Jamie's map and invisibility cloak, to keep an eye out for anything unusual. He honestly hadn't expected to find anything; what were the chances of finding anything suspicious on it in the short periods of time he and the others looked at the two maps?

Shay took the map and the cloak back down to the common room, where he activated the map. He quickly scanned the names, and immediately saw who had left Slytherin House. Draco Malfoy was moving out of the dungeons, and going into the entrance hall.

Shay's eyes narrowed. There was no way that Draco was out for a midnight snack. He had to be up to something. Things were still very tense between the two boys; Draco continued to attempt to retaliate for the curse Shay had put on him one of his first week of Hogwarts. So far, by keeping a very wary eye out, Shay had avoided all revenge.

Throwing the invisibility cloak over his head, Shay hurried out of the dormitory. He stopped at intervals to poke the map out from under the cloak so he could see it in the torches that lined the dungeon corridors. Draco eventually stopped at a room on the third floor, which Shay recognized as an unused office.

Shay followed, and finally came to a halt outside the closed door. About now, Shay began to realize the wisdom of what Professor McGonagall had said about Transfiguration. If he knew how to transfigure himself into a bug, he could just crawl under the door and listen. After all, in this time, no one yet knew how to detect when someone had transfigured.

As this wasn't an option, Shay fell back to good old-fashioned eavesdropping. Those Extendable Ears Jamie sent me would do well right about now. Pity I didn't bring one...Crouching down on the floor, keeping one eye on the Map, Shay peered under the crack in the door. Fortunately, Draco had not put an Imperturbable Charm on the door and sealed it against anyone listening in.

Under the door, he could just see a fire in his direct line of sight, and by the light of it, he made out Draco's feet. And there, in the fire, was a head. Shay couldn't make outwhose head it was; the person was wearing a black mask. Death Eater, was Shay's first thought.

"...fine," Draco drawled, "I'm not just doing this to help you out. I want my father out of prison."

"You are in no position to be making demands," the voice from the head snapped. "You report to me what you know, and the Dark Lord makes the decisions."

"If you want to wreak havoc, by all means, do it." Then Draco's voice chilled. "But I want my father out. That's not a demand. It's a request, on the good faith I've given by reporting to you."

The head snorted. "You haven't reported much of interest."

"I've reported enough."

"You're not the judge of that. If you don't have anything else, I'll be going. And if you want to work for the Dark Lord, you had best learn a bit more humility. I'll see you at the same time next week, and perhaps you'll have more to report than ridiculous school skirmishes." With that, there was a faint pop! and the head vanished. Draco muttered something, and the fire went out. No longer able to see in the room, Shay scooted back, pulling the Marauder's Map under the invisibility cloak.

What was he supposed to make of that conversation? He wasn't at all surprised that Draco was feeding Death Eaters information on what was happening with Hogwarts. He wasn't sure how long it had been going on, but the fact that the Death Eater expected to see Draco next week at the same time made Shay think this was a regular occurrence.

Shay's thoughts were interrupted when Peeves, the ever-annoying poltergeist, popped through the floor at the precise moment Draco exited the room. Peeves cackled when he saw Draco. "Oooh, lookie! Student out of bed! My, my, what will the teachers say?" Raising his voice, he bellowed, "STUDENT OUT OF BED!"

Draco took off at a dead run. He disappeared around the corridor just as Filch came from the opposite direction. "Who's out of bed? Where'd they go, Peeves?"

Peeves blew a raspberry at Filch. "Not telling," he said.

Shay snuck down the corridor as Peeves and Filch argued. He would deal with Draco later. He could spy on Draco a bit more, he supposed, and it would probably be more sensible than attacking Draco outright... Besides, Shay sighed resignedly, if I spy instead of just trying to force Draco to tell me what I know, I might learn some things that even he doesn't know yet.

He determined that he would definitely talk to Will about this in the morning, and he would find out what Draco was up to.

Saturday morning dawned bright and clear. All of the Quidditch players were nervous, though those who were newer to the team showed it more. Harry was trying to make sure all of the team ate a good breakfast, but some of them were only picking at their food, looking too anxious to eat. Hermione arrived shortly after they had sat down.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully, plunking herself down next to Ron and kissing him on the cheek.

"Uh," was Ron's reply, as he turned and slid down so he could lean against Hermione.

"It'll be fine, Ron," Hermione told him soothingly as she used one hand to run her fingers through Ron's hair, and the other hand to put a piece of toast on her plate. She deftly buttered it and put marmalade on it single-handedly. At that moment, the morning post began to arrive, and owls swooped through the Great Hall, dropping off letters and packages.

"Uh," Ron reiterated.

"It isn't as if you haven't played before," Hermione told him. "'Morning, Will!" she said, as Will Weasley sat down across from Ginny.

Will smiled and ran a hand through his touseled hair. "'Morning."

"It'll be fun!" Sari exclaimed, bouncing in her seat. "My mum's playing her first Quidditch match of the season this morning, too-Her team's playing against France."

Ginny stabbed a piece of egg and stuffed it into her mouth. She stopped eating long enough to poke her Daniel with her fork-he was clutching his stomach and looking at his sausage and marmalade toast with a pale face. "It's not so bad," she whispered. "Just remember everything we practiced."

Several of Sari's first year friends, including Aiden, sat down near Sari. Sari and Aiden immediately began carrying out a silent conversation with their hands. Ginny watched with interest for a minute, wondering what they were talking about. She could only understand a word here and there, simply from spending so much time on the Quidditch pitch with Sari. Harry was watching too, and he must have understood something of what they said, for he tossed a piece of toast at Sari to get her attention, and then said, "I did not."

Sari shrugged carelessly. "Something like that," she replied, half a grin on her face. Then she turned back to Aiden.

"How much of that do you understand?" Ginny asked before Harry could retort, nodding at Aiden and Sari.

Harry sighed. "Not enough. Some, though. At this point, I can only catch words or sentences here and there. I can't follow entire conversations-especially not when they get going," he said. "Maybe by the end of the year I'll be able to." He shrugged and returned to his plate of eggs.

Ginny caught sight of Shay approaching from the Slytherin table, and she frowned. He didn't usually come over to the Gryffindor table. Harry caught sight of him, too, and exchanged glances with Ginny. When Shay was close enough, Harry muttered, "Is something wrong?"

Shay spared him only a brief glance. "I need to talk to Will."

Will immediately stood to his feet, and he and Shay withdrew to the edge of the Great Hall. Shay spoke to Will for a long moment, and Will glanced back at the Gryffindor table, a frown on his face. They talked for several more minutes, and then Shay departed for the Slytherin table. Will came back to the Gryffindors and slid back into his seat.

"What was that about?" Ginny whispered, leaning across the table.

Will shook his head, a frown on his face. "Shay followed Draco last night," he whispered. "Draco was communicating with a Death Eater through the floo network-it seems Draco's been regularly giving information to the Death Eaters."

Harry frowned deeply. "That-" he was cut off when a sudden, booming voice echoed through the Great Hall. Everyone immediately stilled, realizing that someone had received a Howler. It spoke only one sentence, in a high, cold voice. Despite the brief message, Ginny could hear a humor in the words that chilled her.

"LET THE GAMES BEGIN."

Ginny scanned the Great Hall, looking for the source of the voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a burst of flame coming from the teacher's podium. Tonks was staring down at a pile of ash.

"Tonks," Ginny said in a hushed voice, nodding at their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. "I wonder who sent-"

"Voldemort," Harry hissed, his own face taut. He looked grimly at Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Will. "That was Voldemort's voice."

It was a very somber Harry that led his team out onto the Quidditch pitch a little while after breakfast. Ginny and Ron both exchanged worried glances with him. Great,Harry thought angrily. Just great. We've been practicing and working ourselves to death to perfect ourselves for this match, and now our focus is on Voldemort. Didn't it figure? Who else had the ability to ruin something like a school Quidditch match?

Why had Voldemort sent that Howler to Tonks, though? What had it meant? He was obviously telling her that he was going to exact some kind of revenge on her for her betrayal to him, but what, exactly, was he planning?

Focus on the Quidditch match, he told himself. Think about Voldemort later. You have to focus on beating Malfoy now. You have to pay attention to what's going on with the team.

As Harry moved to the Quidditch pitch, he was stopped by Professor McGonagall, who hurried toward him. "Mr. Potter!"

Harry's heart froze at the tone of her voice. He had a sudden sense of d ja vu. The last time McGonagall had stopped him from going onto the pitch before a match, Hermione had been Petrified by a basilisk.

"I'm afraid this Quidditch match has been cancelled. We will reschedule it for later," Professor McGonagall said.

Disappointment and even more worry surged through Harry, and he ignored the disappointed groans of Daniel and Andrew. "Professor, what-"

"I will explain later, Mr. Potter. Right now I require Ms. Xiu's company."

Frowning, Harry looked over his soulder at Sari. "Professor-"

"Please proceed directly to your dormitory. You will be briefed on the situation there."

Confused, Harry motioned the Gryffindor team to follow him, and Professor McGonagall took Sari by the arm and led her away. "What do you think's going on?" Ron whispered as he, Harry, and Ginny clustered together.

"I don't know, but I have a bad feeling about it," Ginny said uneasily.

"Me, too," Harry agreed.

They reached the Gryffindor common room just ahead of Katie, Daniel, and Andrew. They found it already packed with the rest of the Gryffindor students. They still had to wait for Professor McGonagall, though. Whispers and speculations wound through the room. Hermione joined Harry, Ginny, and Ron, and shortly after, Neville made his way over. "Does anyone know what's going on?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "Professor McGonagall took Sari with her, but didn't say what this was about. Sari's still not here." He looked around the room, and frowned. "Come to think of it, Aiden's not here, either."

Will joined them then, and they waited for what felt to Harry like an eternity. Finally, Professor McGonagall stepped through the portrait hole, and everyone immediately stopped talking. McGonagall eyed them for a moment, and then said gravely, "A horrible tragedy has occurred today." She paused, and sighed heavily. "As many of you know, the Quidditch league was having a match in France today."

Many students nodded, and Harry's heart plummeted. He recalled at breakfast that Sari had said her mother's team was playing against France this morning. And didn't Aiden say that his father played on the same Quidditch team as Sari's mother?

"As soon as the spectators had been seated, and the Quidditch match was about to begin, the stadium was attacked by Death Eaters. They surrounded the place before anyone realized and they-well, they blew up the stadium."

Professor McGonagall's announcement was meant with shocked silence, and then Dennis Creevey exclaimed, "They blew up the stadium?"

"There are very few survivors," Professor McGonagall said in a strained voice. "The Quidditch players themselves were at the edge of the blast. A few died, but most were transported to St. Jacques' Hospital in Paris. Two of your classmates-Aiden Connor and Sari Xiu-had parents on one of the Quidditch teams. Their parents are still alive, but in critical condition."

Harry closed his eyes and pressed a hand against his forehead. He wasn't sure whether to feel horribly sad or enraged. He mentally cursed Voldemort and his followers. Why had they done this? Why attack a Quidditch game?

"Death Eaters thrive on striking terror and fear into the hearts and minds of everyone possible," Professor McGonagall said, emotion straining her face. "Now, I have to go to a staff meeting. Aiden and Sari will be absent for several days. When they return, please be sensitive to them." With that, Professor McGonagall left the tower.

The students immediately burst into loud conversation. Harry, Will, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Neville retreated to a corner of the common room, where they wouldn't be heard over the loud ravings of the other students.

"Will," Hermione began, looking as if she wanted to confront something, but wanted to do it as gently as possible.

"It didn't happen," Will said immediately. He shook his head. "Voldemort didn't start attacking outright until your seventh year," he sighed. "And this never happened."

"Then why?" Neville asked quietly. "What made You-Know-Who do this?"

"I don't...wait..." Hermione's eyes widened, and she hissed, "Tonks."

"What?" Ron frowned at her. "What does Tonks have to do with this?"

"She said her father is a Quidditch referee, remember? And this morning, Voldemort sent her a Howler..."

"'Let the games begin,'" Ginny recalled.

"Wait. You think Voldemort did this to get back at Tonks?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"It would be the sort of thing he would do," Harry said angrily. "Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. Hurt Tonks and terrify and kill a bunch of people in the process. Of course, we're not sure-we'd have to find out if Tonks' father was refereeing this game."

The six of them exchanged glances, and Hermione said grimly, "Let's find out, then. Professor McGonagall should know."

Author notes: Next chapter we're getting back to Jamie... (or getting to her, as the case may be!)

All right, I want to thank all of the people who reviewed this chapter (and the whole story, in some cases!). I appreciate them so much! You guys give me fresh perspective on some things, and I love hearing what you have to say. So thanks to Jorrn, isla142, Wyrmslayer, Sach , Merenwen Sirfalas (that s a fun name to type, by the way), emalfoy, IMAPotterFreak, Jacquelyne, swishandflick, Chie, Cheese Louise, SeverelySnaped, Elder Rogue, deborahfr, gryffindorGal25_2003, and LoonyLuna.

And last, before this story goes any further, I just have to give a huge, huge thanks to my wonderful husband, who has spent many a late night (and morning...and afternoon) listening to me ramble my thoughts for this story, for helping me sort things out so I can make this feasible. He puts up with my random 'do you think this could happen to so and so under these circumstances?' questions. This story would just not be the same without his help.

Chapter Nineteen ~ Trouble in London

Jamie was seated on the couch in the Weasley living room, scribbling out the most recent Charms homework that Bill had delivered to her from Dumbledore. She still occasionally wished she could be at Hogwarts, but she was quite pleased with the current arrangement. She loved the Weasleys, and she was delighted to get to know them all, and Bill had quickly taken a special place in her heart. He was a patient teacher, and he could always make her laugh.

Jamie glanced over at Molly, who was sitting on the floor, scribbling on a blank piece of paper with a box of crayons that Mr. Weasley had brought home for her two days earlier. Molly had colored numerous pictures since she got a hold of the crayons, and had taken to coloring different objects, but mostly, her depictions of people. Sometimes it was difficult to figure out which of the Weasleys she had drawn, but Jamie was quickly learning how to distinguish who the object of Molly's colorings was. One thing that had stuck out in Jamie's mind was that Molly not only drew what was in front of her, but that which she remembered. She had turned out several stick-figure drawings of Will, and at least one of Shay. She had yet to put herself in any of her drawings.

Jamie returned to her Charms paper, tapping her quill thoughtfully against her chin. Describe the effects of the Bubble-Head Charm, and the wand movement required to perform it correctly. She dipped her quill in the ink and began writing out her answer when she was interrupted by a sudden loud crack-the familiar sound of someone Apparating.

She heard Mrs. Weasley give a startled gasp, and was halfway to her feet, wand in her hand, when she recognized Bill's voice. Relaxing, Jamie sank back onto the couch, still clutching her wand. It didn't matter that she had been at the Weasleys' for over a month; she had lived too long in fear and in hiding. The longer she knew the Weasleys, the more she feared an attack on them. She didn't want to lose any of them-not even Fred and George, despite the way they loved to tease her.

Jamie listened to Bill and Mrs. Weasley talk in low, urgent tones. Something happened, Jamie thought. She set aside her Charms paper and stood up, hoping she could ask what, but before she had the chance, the voices from the kitchen silenced, and Bill walked through the door, into the living room. "Hi, Jamie." He looked tired, but managed a crooked grin. The grin widened, and he chuckled. "You have ink on your nose."

Making a face, Jamie rubbed the end of her nose. Bill bent down in front of Molly. "Hey, there, ladybug. What are you drawing?"

Molly glanced up, giving Bill a solemn look, and leaned back so Bill could see her picture. "You're doing a great job, Molly," Bill said. Molly only looked at him again, and then went back to her coloring.

"What happened?" Jamie asked in a low voice. "Something's wrong, isn't it?"

Bill sat beside her on the couch. "Yes," he sighed. "You-Know-Who staged an attack at the Quidditch League's first match of the year. It was between Scotland and France. As far as the authorities can tell, over nine hundred people were killed. There are twenty survivors-most of them Quidditch team members."

Jamie's jaw dropped. "What?" Nine hundred people?

"I take that to mean you didn't know it would happen."

"Of course I didn't-no! It didn't happen! It..." Upset, Jamie twisted her fingers together.

"Hey. It's all right; I wasn't accusing you of anything," Bill said gently. "I know you've already changed things in this time. I just want you to know that if there's something bad you think is going to happen, you can tell us."

"I know," Jamie said quietly. "And you know I have, and I will." She had certainly told Bill about the way he had died-two years from the present date-in hopes that if the specific events leading up to his death still took place-unlikely-he would be able to prevent it. There was another event that she couldn't specifically tell him about, without breaking a promise to Shay. She didn't know if it would still happen, but just in case, she had told him that on January 3, 1997-just two months from now-he and Fleur Delacour needed to be somewhere safe and away from London all day.

"Why?"

"Because on that day, you and Fleur were captured by Death Eaters. You both escaped, but the Death Eaters learned some things that made it very difficult on a lot of people. Voldemort discovered some information that he would be much, much better off not knowing."

Bill had studied Jamie thoughtfully, but nodded and agreed to her request. Jamie still thought about it, and the possible consequences it could have. Fleur was a complicated issue, and she wasn't sure what the consequences would be if some things happened, or didn't happen. She decided the best way to handle her would be the way she was handling everything else-a day at a time, and taking things as they came. She hadn't told the Weasleys the full story of her future; she figured the less people who knew, the better, and it had been hard enough telling her parents about it. She knew there were things she said sometimes that surprised the Weasleys, or gave them hints as to some of the things that had happened, but she often didn't realize it would have this effect until after she said it.

"Where was the stadium that was attacked?" Jamie asked.

"In France." Bill ran a hand across his face. "Fleur's parents...they were at the game. They went to a match every time the League played there."

It took a moment for the impact of these words to hit Jamie, and then she gasped. "They're...dead?"

"Yes. Fleur's little sister Gabrielle wasn't there, fortunately. She was sick at home. She's coming to live with Fleur. She's ten, which means she'll probably attend Hogwarts next year, since Fleur isn't planning on moving back to France."

Jamie blinked. Fleur lived in a flat in the same building as Bill, which was convenient, as the two had become quite an item. But this meant that Gabrielle Delacour would be staying in London... "When will she get here?"

"I'm going with Fleur to pick her up this afternoon," Bill replied.

Jamie bit her lower lip. None of the Weasleys' knew that Gabrielle was Shay's mother-they only knew Neville was his father. What would Shay say, if he knew his mother was going to be in London?

Molly interrupted Jamie's thoughts when she slid the piece of paper she had been coloring onto Jamie's lap. Jamie picked it up and looked down at it, smiling. "Molly...this is beautiful. Is it Bill and me?" Molly had drawn a two stick figures-one with long red hair and one with black hair. The figure with red hair was wearing a long earring. The long hair and earring was the only way Jamie could distinguish Molly's drawings of Bill from the drawings of the rest of the Weasley family.

Molly simply stared at Jamie for a minute, and then turned and sat back down on the floor, picking up another crayon. Jamie tucked Molly's drawing under her Charms homework.

"Anyway, I have to get going. I'll come back later, though." Bill stood up and ruffled Jamie's hair. He waved at Molly. "See you later, ladybug," he said, and promptly Disapparated.

Jamie quickly grabbed a blank sheet of parchment and began a letter to Shay. He should know what was going on with Gabrielle. When the letter was dry, she rolled it up and went to find Cupid, the owl that Bill and Charlie had given her for her birthday. "You need an owl. Errol's getting dangerous to use. You need something a bit more...reliable," Charlie had told her.

"Besides," Bill put in, "You're blood family, regardless to the strange circumstances. Uncles are supposed to spoil their nieces, and from what I've surmised, most of us were dead in your future, which means you missed out on a lot of spoiling."

"And," Charlie added, chuckling, "You know that the next time we see Ginny, she's going to ask how we've been treating you."

She had come to love each of her uncles. Her relationship with Fred and George was a bit unusual, but she had a lot of fun with them. She really didn't mind Fred and George's antics that much. If she did, she would have told them she was seriously miserable, and to stop. As it was, it had become more of a game between Fred and George and Jamie. They tried to find sneaky ways to slip bits of their Skiving Snackboxes to her, or to test other interesting curses when she was around, and she tried to find sneakier ways of outwitting them. It helped sharpen her mind in more ways than one, and it had the added effect of making her truly feel initiated into the Weasley family.

Smiling in remembrance, Jamie tied the letter to Cupid's leg, and said, "Shay, please." She let the tawny owl out the window and watched it fly off over the trees. She then went back downstairs to work on her schoolwork. When she sat down, Molly handed her another picture, this one her version of Will and Shay. She had drawn Jamie in the middle of them.

Jamie frowned as she looked atthe picture. "Molly...are you wondering about Will and Shay? Are you trying to ask me when we're going to see them again?"

Of course, Molly didn't answer, simply turning back to he coloring, but Jamie looked at the picture with mixed interest and excitement. What if Molly was finally trying to 'speak,' in a way? Would drawing pictures begin to bring out some of what might be locked inside of her?

Hermione trudged down the stairs at three o'clock on Sunday morning. She hadn't been able to sleep very well, and she suspected that perhaps she wasn't the only one. Will had been more quiet than usual, and very withdrawn since the news of the Quidditch disaster in France. She hadn't been able to get him alone all day, and when the common room started clearing out for the evening, he had disappeared from Gryffindor Tower.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw him sitting in one of the armchairs, knees tucked up against his chest, and his chin resting on his knees. He looked more like a lost little kid than anything, and her heart went out to him. "Will?"

Will looked over at her, seemingly unsurprised to see her. "Hi," he said quietly.

Hermione ran a hand through her disheveled hair and tucked her bathrobe more tightly around her. She walked over and sat down on a chair beside him. "I thought I might find you down here. Are you all right?"

Will didn't meet her eye. He swallowed and shook his head.

Hermione laid a hand on his arm. "Will?" When he still didn't answer, she said quietly, "This has to be pretty hard on you, but it's not your fault that the Death Eaters destroyed that Quidditch stadium." They had learned that Tonks' father had not been refereeing this match; in fact, Professor McGonagall had told them that Tonks' parents had been in a safe place since September. Since Voldemort found out Tonks had betrayed him, Hermione had realized. They were guessing the Howler was sent to goad Tonks, to make a threat to those she loved.

Will gave an odd choking noise. "I..." he swallowed. "Voldemort seemed to be taunting her. Like, 'look what I can do. Just wait till it's your father.' If I had just gone to Dumbledore before I broke those spells in the Gourl, Tonks' wouldn't have been found out by Voldemort...and the Death Eaters wouldn't have attacked the stadium..."

"You don't know that." Hermione slid off of the chair and knelt in front of Will's chair, taking his hands in hers. "Will, listen. You said that Tonks disappeared at the same time Dumbledore died, right?"

Will nodded miserably.

"Then it stands to reason that Voldemort did find out that Tonks had betrayed him, and it had nothing to do with the Gourl, since the spells in it weren't broken until later." Hermione squeezed his hands, and Will ventured a look at her. "It was Voldemort's decision to do this, not yours. And you have no idea what-or who-has been saved because you came back. Tonks is still here, Dumbledore's still alive...you have no idea what's going to happen with them. You might end up saving thousands and thousands of lives because of the things you've done. The evils that Voldemort does-for whatever reasons-are not your burden to carry."

"I...I know that in a way, you're right. But I did cause it through the decisions I made. I always knew the dangers of changing to future...I talked about it numerous times with Shay and James...but..."

"Reality hits home hard," Hermione said sympathetically.

Will nodded. "I caused it. I know that it didn't happen in the original timeline. That makes it my responsibility, even if it's not my fault. And Dumbledore hasn't died yet, but what if he still does? Then we'll only have made things worse..."

"I don't know, Will," Hermione said quietly. "I don't know what will happen. I can't promise you that things won't turn out the same way, or be worse. But I can hope, and so can you. And we can continue to hunt for information, we can continue to keep our eyes open. You can't give up."

"I know...I know, but I want to. There are so many families hurting tonight because of what happened today...did you know Angelina Johnson was supposed to be at the match? She decided to come here instead, for Hogwarts' first Quidditch game."

Hermione knew he had only met Angelina yesterday. She was very thankful that Angelina, at least, had been spared the fate of those at the Quidditch stadium in France. "So many people are suffering..." Will's voice broke, and tears spilled down his cheeks.

Hermione did the only thing she could think to do; she stood up and put her arms around him.

"I'm so tired...and I'm so scared. I don't know what to do, Mum. I don't know what to do anymore. I just want all of this to be over." Hermione was startled by the 'Mum,' but Will didn't seem to notice he had said it. It sounded more natural to her than she had expected. There had been times when he had almost slipped, starting to call her 'Mum' or Ron 'Dad,' but he had always caught himself before the word came all the way out of his mouth.

"I know. And it's hard," Hermione said. She she stepped back, placing her hands on Will's shoulders. "I told you that you were going to crack under all of these things you're carrying on your shoulders," she said, her voice half-affectionate, and half-stern.

Will let out a strangled laugh. "My mum used to use that tone on me all the time." He wiped his face with his hand. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You need to let your emotions out sometimes."

"Don't tell Da-Ron about it, please?"

It still struck Hermione as odd that Will often showed traces of wanting Ron's approval, when Ron himself still had so much insecurity and immaturity. "I won't."

"Sorry for calling you Mum...it just..." Will trailed off wistfully.

"Oh, Will, it's perfectly all right." Hermione sat back in her chair. "Now stop apologizing." She paused and studied him sympathetically. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Will managed a shaky smile. "No. You've done more than enough...thank you."

Hermione smiled in return. "You're welcome."

Jamie kept an eye out for anything else unusual over the next couple of weeks. The wizarding world was on high alert as clean-up efforts at the stadium in France continued. Jamie kept expecting something else horrible to happen, but everything remained quiet. Too quiet, Jamie decided. Voldemort has to have something else up his sleeve... What is he planning?

Shay sent Cupid back with a brief reply. If they had anything to say that was important, or related to the future, they used a code that they had developed a long time ago, in case the letters were ever intercepted. Thanks for telling me about the Delacours. Keep me updated. There's something you should know; I don't know if Will's told you yet, but I found out that Draco Malfoy is acting the spy for Voldemort. I'll be keeping tabs on him and what conversations he has.

Jamie was not terribly surprised at the news. It was the kind of thing she would have expected from Draco.

Shay also told her about the Howler that Tonks had received. Will wrote the same thing, but added the news that two first year Gryffindor students had parents in the hopsital because of the attack. Fortunately, Will wrote, their parents are getting better...they should be out of the hospital in a week or so.

November continued into December, and things still remained superficially passive. Oh, there were still reports in the news about the occasional witch or wizard disappearing, but nothing major happened. Shay had been keeping her up-to-date on Draco's situation as best he could. Draco is still at it, but he doesn't seem to know very much. I haven't heard anything of interest so December fifth, Jamie sent Shay a package for his seventeenth birthday. Enclosed was a new invention of Fred's and George's. They called it Blast-Binding Bubblegum. The advertisement on it was: Do you have a teacher who annoys you? Would you like to make a mess somewhere? Just chew Blast-Binding Bubblegum and stick it under your desk! Blast-Binding Bubblegum will is endowed with a Permanent Sticking Charm for long-lasting effectiveness.

Jamie had asked where the 'Blast' part of the name came from, and Fred and George had chuckled.

"Well, if anyone tries to charm the gum off of anything, it explodes. Ah, don't worry...it just shoots gum all over the room and causes an even bigger mess."

"Of course, then the Permanent Sticking Charm is set to wear off. Otherwise we might get sued if people couldn't get the gum off of their face."

Mid-December, Ginny sent Jamie a long letter, telling her they had finally played their first Quidditch match against Slytherin. It was fantastic, Ginny wrote. It lasted for four hours, and we lost a player after the first hour. Andrew Kirke took a bludger to the stomach. Ouch. The game ended when Harry caught the Snitch. We beat Slytherin by twenty points. Malfoy was livid. Jamie could almost see the grin on Ginny's face at those words.

On the Thursday two days before Christmas holidays at Hogwarts, Mrs. Weasley called Jamie into the kitchen. "I just thought I would let you know, dear. We've invited everyone to the Burrow for Christmas. Percy will be here, so you'll finally get to meet him. He's just been so out of touch. When you came to stay with us, I was at least able to talk face-to-face with Bill, Charlie, and the twins. I need to tell him in person, but Percy hasn't returned my calls," she said sadly.

Fred and George had given a very different reason that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley hadn't told Percy, but somehow, that didn't surprise Jamie.

Mrs. Weasley brightened. "Well, at least he'll be here for Christmas," she said in satisfaction. "And of course, we've invited Will and your friend Shay to come over Christmas break, and Harry and Hermione will be here as well."

Jamie was elated at the news. It would be so great to see Will and Shay in person. Letters were all well and good, but they didn't come close in comparison. She was also excited about the prospect of getting to know her parents a little better, and hoped that the months of exchanging letters with Ginny, and giving Harry time to adjust to the situation, would have alleviated the awkwardness that had been there during their first meeting.

Later that same day, Bill showed up at the Burrow and talked privately with his mother for a few minutes. Then he tracked Jamie down. "Come on," he said, tossing her the coat the Weasleys had given her.

Jamie looked at the coat in her hands, confused. "Come where?"

"I'm taking you Christmas shopping. I have to get something for my siblings, not to mention Fleur-it wouldn't do at all if Christmas gets here and I don't have something for my girlfriend on our first Christmas together, would it? And Mum gave me a list of items she needs in Diagon Alley. It would help to have an extra pair of arms. It would also help to have someone who's female along, as I don't like shopping, and haven't a clue what to get Fleur." Bill said, grinning.

"But...I can't," Jamie said, confused. "And besides, I'm afraid I don't have much experience...shopping."

"If it's your looks you're worried about, I've got it covered. Dumbledore agreed I could take you out a bit. Come on. I'm not the oldest of a houseful of mischief-makers without knowing a few tricks."

"All right," Jamie said uncertainly. "What about Molly?" She couldn't just leave her...

"She's helping Mum make Christmas cookies. She'll be all right." Bill studied Jamie for a moment, and then said, "Hold still." He took out his wand and touched it to the top of her head. "Convertus," he muttered. Jamie felt a tingle run through her scalp, and saw the strand of hair that was hanging in front of her face turn from black to light brown. The color changed from the top down to the end, as if someone had poured paint over her head. "Close your eyes." Jamie obeyed, and felt Bill's wand touch each of her eyes in turn. "Open them." Bill nodded in satisfaction. "There. It'll only last for about twelve hours, and you can't perform the disguise again for a week, or your hair'll turn blue for a month. Go look in the mirror. And get your shoes."

Jamie cautiously moved to the mirror in the hallway and looked into it, surprised at her own reflection. While she still had a mixture of her parents' facial features, she now had light brown hair and pale blue eyes. The distinguishing traits that marked her as Harry Potter's daughter had been erased. It was a little disconcerting.

"That color looks marvelous on you, dear, but your hair could use a good combing," the mirror told her.

Jamie ignored it and went to get her shoes. She returned to the living room, hopping on one foot to pull on her left shoe.

"Ready then? Have you traveled by floo powder before?" Bill asked.

"Um...yes. Are you sure about this?"

"Positive. It doesn't do anyone any good being cooped up in a house for months on end. Come on." Bill grabbed Jamie's arm and pulled her over to the fireplace. He grabbed the pot of floo powder off of the mantel and offered it to Jamie. "You first. We'll go to the Leaky Cauldron, since the fireplace exit for Diagon Alley tends to be busier."

Jamie took a handful and threw it into the fireplace. Green flames burst into existence, and she stepped into it. "The Leaky Cauldron," she said clearly. She suddenly experienced the dizzying, rushing sensation of flying past numerous grates. She popped out in the side of a pub. It looked familiar, but it wasn't until she straightened and looked around that she recognized it as the Leaky Cauldron. None of the customers paid her any attention; apparently, they were quite used to people arriving from the fireplace.

Bill arrived a moment later and grinned. "Come on." He led her out the back, saying a cheery, "Morning, Tom!" to the bartender as he passed.

It was snowing outside, but there was a path of footprints leading right to the brick wall in back. Bill tapped his wand on several of the bricks, and the gateway to Diagon Alley opened. He stepped through, with Jamie half a pace behind him. She stopped and stared in wonder at the sight in front of her. Dozens of witches and wizards were doing Christmas shopping, carrying packages and bags, with the occasional person holding a cage with some animal or another inside. All of the buildings were clean and orderly. It was so alive...so completely opposite of the terror-ridden place in the future. She was suddenly very glad that Bill had decided to bring her. Seeing this was more than worth it. It lightened her heart and, more than anything, gave her hope. There was still hope that it wouldn't fall into ruin; there was still hope that the future could be saved.

They walked for a while, and Jamie's toes were just getting numb from the cold when Bill stopped in front of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. "Hungry?"

Jamie nodded.

"Let's grab something to eat, then." Bill turned to go inside.

"Ice cream? In December? While it's snowing?" Jamie asked doubtfully.

Bill held the door open for Jamie. "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I think I left it back with my unfrozen toes," Jamie said dryly.

Bill laughed and followed her inside. "Florean sells more than just ice cream. He has a wonderful winter menu that'll thaw you out-toes and all."

"Bill..." Jamie hesitated. "I don't have any money," she said quietly.

"I've got it covered," Bill told her, patting her arm. "Why don't you grab a seat, and I'll order us some food?" He nodded at an empty table.

Jamie nodded, and dropped back to the table. She felt bad, not being able to pay the Weasleys for anything...they kept insisting that she was family, but she still wished she contribute money in some way.

Bill came back with the food. He was right; it was hot and delicious. They hadn't been eating for more than five minutes when a voice exclaimed, "Bill!"

Jamie looked up and almost choked on her food. Standing behind Bill was a stunning woman who could only be Fleur Delacour. At her side was a smaller girl, equally as beautiful. Oh. My... She realized she was gaping, and quickly looked down at her plate to compose herself. When she looked back up, she saw the Fleur was staring at her with a mixture of confusion and hostility.

"Fleur!" Bill grinned. "Gabrielle! I would like you to meet Jamie. She's the relative from out of town that I told you is staying with my family. She's a Weasley on her mother's side." He winked at Jamie.

Jamie managed a smile at the Delacours. Fleur visibly relaxed. "Oh! 'ello! I 'ave 'eard so much about you. It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." Fleur glanced down at Gabrielle. "Dis bonjour."

'Say hello,' Jamie translated silently. She smiled at Gabrielle. "Bonjour, je suis tr s content faire vos connaissance. Voulez vous vous asseoir avec nous?" 'Hello, I am very pleased to meet you. Would you like to sit with us?'

Gabrielle's face brightened, and she looked up at Fleur. Fleur tilted her head. "You did not tell me she speaks French," she told Bill reprovingly.

"I didn't realize that she did," Bill laughed.

Jamie wasn't about to mention that since she had lived off and on with Gabrielle when she was little, and with Shay her entire life, knowing French had been a necessity. She simply smiled. "Would you like to sit down with us?" she repeated in English. She wasn't sure Gabrielle spoke English at this point, though during the time Jamie had known her, she had spoken with only a trace of a French accent.

Fleur nodded at Gabrielle, and Gabrielle grinned at Jamie. "We would love to join you," she said in heavily-accented English.

"I am going to order food," Fleur said. "I promised Gabrielle ice cream. I'll be back in a moment."

The thought of ice cream made Jamie shiver, and she looked at Gabrielle. "You're brave, if you can eat ice cream at this time of the year." She couldn't get over the fact that Shay's mother was sitting right in front of her-she was such a little girl!-but she was glad that she seemed to be able to converse somewhat normally.

Gabrielle giggled. "I could eat ice cream anytime," she said, a grin on her face.

Shay's grin... "Do you like London?" she asked Gabrielle.

The girl shrugged. "I...miss my 'ome." A shadow crossed her face, and Jamie felt bad about bringing it up. Stupid, Jamie! It hasn't even been two months since her parents died. Fortunately, Fleur returned with the food then-ice cream for Gabrielle, and a hot drink for herself. Gabrielle brightened considerably and dug into the ice cream with relish. "Ze ice cream is ze best part," she confided to Jamie, mouth full.

Jamie burst out laughing, then clapped a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just...you reminded me of someone..." It was easy to see where Shay got his love of food-and especially sweets-from.

Bill and Fleur were engaged in a quiet conversation, and Jamie studied the two of them for a minute. Fleur's cheeks were flushed in pleasure, and Bill was grinning. She recalled their fates in her time, and her throat closed up.

"She is 'opeless," Gabrielle sighed, shaking her head at Fleur.

Jamie raised her eyebrows. "Hopeless?"

"Zat is what my muzzer always said about Fleur and boys, anyway," Gabrielle confided.

Jamie choked back a laugh. "What do you think of Bill?" she whispered.

Gabrielle grinned. "I like 'im. 'e likes to do zings wiz me." She shoved a huge bite of ice cream into her mouth and mumbled something Jamie couldn't understand.

Fleur looked over sharply. "Gabrielle! It is rude to talk wiz your mouz full!"

Gabrielle swallowed and made a face at Fleur.

"Will you be joining us on our shopping trip?" Jamie asked, saving Gabrielle from a lecture.

"I am afraid not. I am scheduled to work zis afternoon, and must take Gabrielle 'ome first."

Gabrielle sighed and told Jamie, "I 'ave to stay wiz ze next-door neighbor while Fleur works."

"Madame Carlton is a good woman," Fleur said reprovingly. She had a half-distressed look on her face.

Gabrielle looked up at Fleur with a slight frown on her face, laying a hand on Fleur's arm. "Yes. She is," Gabrielle agreed.

"Actually, if Jamie doesn't mind, Gabrielle can just come with us. I was going to watch her later tonight anyway," Bill offered, tweaking Gabrielle's nose.

Gabrielle looked hopefully at Jamie and Fleur. Jamie shrugged. "That's fine with me."

"You're certain?" Fleur asked.

"Of course," Bill replied. "What time to you get off work?"

"At eight."

"Then why don't we come pick you up when you're done, and Jamie and I will escort you and Gabrielle home."

Fleur nodded. "All right." Gabrielle beamed. "I must be going. Jamie, it was a pleasure to meet you. I'll see you tonight, ma cherie." Fleur gave Gabrielle a kiss on the top of her head. She turned to kiss Bill fully on the lips, and Gabrielle wrinkled her nose, rolling her eyes at Jamie. "Au revoir!" Fleur Delacour exited the ice cream parlor.

Jamie's disguise was supposed to wear off at about midnight, so that gave them plenty of time.

Gabrielle bounced excitedly in her seat. "Zank you for letting me stay wiz you," she told Bill gratefully. She scraped her bowl with her spoon and shoved the last bite of ice cream into her mouth, swallowing with relish.

"No problem. Besides, now we have another conspirator to help find a present for Fleur," Bill said.

Gabrielle grinned. "I know just ze zing."

Jamie had the time of her life shopping with Bill and Gabrielle. They spent hours scouring the shops in Diagon Alley, picking up things for all of the Weasley children. Gabrielle delighted in pulling Bill all over the place, exclaiming over everything. Bill also had Jamie help him pick out gifts for Will and Shay. "Mum said to," he told her, when she protested the money aspect of it. "And you know the kind of fit she'll throw if I don't get exactly what she wanted."

Jamie did indeed. She had been witness to Mrs. Weasley's wrath, and she didn't wish it on anyone, least of all Bill.

The sky was starting to darken when Jamie finally met the last of her uncles. They ran into Percy Weasley outside an apothecary. "Perce! Fancy seeing you here." Bill clapped Percy on the shoulder.

Percy looked very startled to see Bill. "Bill! What are you doing here?"

Bill lifted up the numerous bags in his arms. "Shopping," he said. "For Mum, mostly."

Percy turned to face Jamie and Gabrielle. "You're the little Delacour girl, aren't you?"

Gabrielle jutted her chin out. "I'm Gabrielle."

Percy's gaze shifted to Jamie. "And you are?"

Jamie exchanged glances with Bill. "Well," Bill said, pulling Percy aside, out of Gabrielle's hearing range. "Mum's been trying to get a hold of you to introduce you to Jamie. Jamie, Percy."

Percy extended a cordial hand. "Jamie," he said. "I'm pleased to meet you."

Jamie took his hand and shook it. "Likewise," she said quietly, studying him. He didn't seem nearly as easy-going as any of the rest of her uncles.

Percy turned his attention on Bill. "I know Mum has been wanting to talk to me; I've been getting her messages," Percy said stiffly.

But he didn't see fit to return his mother's messages? Jamie really wasn't sure she particularly liked Percy, but she knew she should give him a fair chance. He was her uncle, after all.

"You should go see her," Bill said seriously. "She can give you the details, but I will tell you that this is Jamie, and she's a relative of Harry's."

"Harry? But he has only Muggle relatives," Percy said, shooting Jamie a startled look.

"She's also," Bill said, "a relative of ours."

Percy stared at Bill.

"If you want to know anything else, you'll have to go see Mum," Bill said firmly.

"Yes...I think I'll do that," Percy said slowly. "I needed to talk to her about Christmas, anyway." He nodded at the three of them, then walked away.

Bill sighed and watched him go. "He's so caught up in his own world, he sometimes doesn't stop to think about what's going on outside of it. Come on. We still have a couple of hours to kill before Fleur gets off work."

They continued browsing through Diagon Alley, and when it neared eight o'clock, they headed over to Gringotts to wait for Fleur. She joined them shortly, looking rather harried. "Zose goblins are so bad-tempered zis evening!" she exclaimed, shooting a look over her shoulder as they walked down the steps. "Zere was a mistake in one of ze accounts, and you know how zey get wiz any errors."

"That I do," Bill said taking Fleur's hand in his. "How do you want to go home? I don't have any floo powder, and Gabrielle can't Apparate. Is walking all right? It'll give Jamie a chance to see London a bit. She hasn't had the chance to yet."

"Walking is fine," Fleur said. "Ze flats are not zat far away."

And so the four of them headed back through Diagon Alley, and out the Leaky Cauldron, which was now packed with witches and wizards. When they stepped out of the pub, they were on a normal London street. "The flat is this way," Bill said, motioning Jamie to the right.

"There it is." Bill pointed to a building a block ahead. Two steps later, a tingle shot down Jamie's back, and she stopped. She had the sudden uncanny feeling that she was being watched, and she had learned long ago to trust her instincts on matters like these. She carefully scanned the surrounding area. There weren't many people out and about, but everyone she saw was bustling along.

"Bill-" it was all Jamie got out. The next second, she saw a bolt of red light zooming straight toward Bill. She threw herself at him, knocking him off balance enough that the Stunning spell zoomed right by him. The next second, she had her wand out and was aiming it in the direction of the attack. "Lumos solem!" she cried.

A brilliant flash of light shot out of her wand, illuminating the dark London street. Jamie glimpsed Muggles turning to gape, but they didn't hold her attention. The figures in black hoods gripping wands did. Jamie counted seven of them. Fear struck her heart. Death Eaters. What are they doing here? Why are they attacking us?

The light slowly faded, but now she knew where the enemy was. "Fleur! Jamie! Get Gabrielle and get out of here!" Bill told them.

Jamie turned to Gabrielle. There was a way she could get Gabrielle out, and then she, Fleur, and Bill could Disapparate. Before she could do so, she was busy defending herself as the Death Eaters swept forward, shooting curses at her. "Protego prolongus!" she cried. If any good came out of her time-traveling, it was that some of the spells she knew had been developed in the fight against Death Eaters in the future. She had access to several spells that they didn't, like the Extended Shield spell she had just implemented. Had she been in the future, the Death Eaters might have found a way past it, but these particular Death Eaters weren't that advanced yet. The shield would hold for about thirty seconds, and that gave her the advantage.

She felt the curses slide past her shield, and she used her free hand to shove Gabrielle directly behind her, against the building at her back. I have to get her out, but I can't move while the Extended Shield spell is in effect. She couldn't move Gabrielle in front of her, and if she turned to Gabrielle, the shield would stay in front of her, exposing her back. Of course, when the shield faded, she would be exposed anyway. Frustration overwhelmed her. There had to be a way out of this.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Bill and Fleur had their wands out, and were standing side by side, backs pressed against the wall of the building. They were both dueling fiercely with five of the Death Eaters, and the other two Death Eaters were focused on Jamie. "Crucio!" one of them yelled. He didn't realize that her shield was still intact, and the curse simply slid off again.

"Expelliarmus!" Jamie shouted, and one of the Death Eater's wands sailed out of his hand. "Accio wand!" It flew into her grip, and Jamie promptly broke it in half over her knee, letting the pieces drop to the ground at her feet.

She had to get Fleur and Gabrielle out of here. They could not be captured, under any circumstances. She wanted to get Bill away, too, but she knew there was no chance he would Disapparate. He would stay to make sure she was safe, and the only reason Fleur was staying right now was to protect Gabrielle. There was only one thing she could do. She aimed her wand at Fleur. "Deplacio Hogsmeade!" she said it quietly, hoping that the Death Eaters wouldn't hear. She didn't need them learning any spells from the future.

There was a gust of wind, and Fleur vanished. Bill and the Death Eaters froze in surprise for an instant, giving Jamie time to point her wand at Bill. "Deplacio Hogsmeade!"Another wind, and Bill disappeared.

"FLEUR!" Gabrielle screamed, not realizing what had happened. "FLEUR!" she jumped out from behind Jamie, unwittingly stepping away from Jamie's shield.

No! Jamie pointed her wand at the girl. "Deplacio Hogsmeade!" There was a third rush of wind, and Gabrielle vanished.

"Petrificus totalus!" one of the Death Eaters cried.

The Extended Shield spell had faded, and Jamie didn't have time to cast it again. Her arms and legs snapped together, and she dropped her wand. She tried to Disapparate, but one of the Death Eaters must have cast an Anti-Disapparation jinx, because she stayed where she was. She wanted to scream in frustration, but couldn't get her mouth to move.

The Death Eaters closed around her, and she fought back the fear threatening to overwhelm her. She had gotten Fleur and Gabrielle away, and that was the most important thing, but what were the Death Eaters going to do with her? Would they kill her, or would they try to torture her, thinking she might have information they could use? She had much more information than they could possibly guess.

One of the Death Eaters pointed his wand at her, and Jamie braced herself for the worst. "We were supposed to bring Bill Weasley in," he said. "But maybe she's a part of it. She might know something."

"We might as well bring her with us and question her, and we'd best hurry. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement is sure to have been alerted, and will be here soon."

Sirens could already be heard in the backround-Muggle police, Jamie guessed, unless the Department of Magical Law Enforcement used sirens in this time-and Jamie was aware of Muggles yelling and screaming.

"Fine, put her under the Imperius Curse and let's get out of here."

"Imperio!"

The next moment, Jamie's mind blanked, and she felt...happy. She was vaguely aware of the Death Eaters around her, and that she could move again. An instant later, something rose in the back of her mind. Fight it, you idiot! If there was one thing that she and Will had been forced to practice for years, it was throwing off the Imperius Curse. Shay didn't need to worry about learning it, and had teased her nonstop when they were little, because she had a hard time learning to beat the Curse, until Aunt Hermione told him very sternly that it wasn't a laughing matter. He had thought it was greatly funny to see her flapping her arms and running around like a chicken before she was able to learn to throw off the Curse. (Her Uncle Ron had a weird sense of humor sometimes.)

That memory brought back her years of training, and ignoring the false sense of peace and comfort, she pushed against the bonds that held her mind captive. She snapped back to reality, and saw that she had fought it off so quickly that the Death Eaters hadn't even had time to move. One of them was holding her wand, and before they could react, she snatched it and pointed it at herself.

One of the Death Eaters pointed his own wand at her and shouted something at the same time she cried desperately, "Deplacio Hogsmeade!" Something struck her at the exact moment she was suddenly caught up in a rush of wind. With the violence that came with Displacement, she was ripped away from the London street.

Chapter Twenty ~ In the Forest

Shay ate a late supper in the Great Hall the Thursday before Christmas break was to start. The Hogwarts Coaltion had called an emergency session that afternoon, and it had gone on longer than expected. Events in Slytherin House had come to a cataclysmic head the night before when Draco and a group of his friends had completely destroyed the third years' dormitories-everything the third years' owned was burned to an irreparable crisp. The guess was that the third years had been singled out because almost every single one of them had joined the Hogwarts Coalition.

Of course, no one could prove that it was Draco and his friends. Snape had been livid, and declared the next person who caused trouble would be expelled immediately. He had given everyone-except the third years-a week of detentions, which many thought unfair. He had then installed Reciprocated Mirrors in the common room and each of the dormitories. The students were now forced to dress in the cover of the bathrooms or the behind the curtains of their four posters. Slytherin House was a disaster zone, and the other members of the Coalition were doing all they could to lend support to the Society of Slytherins.

Shay glanced over at Gryffindor table. It was mostly empty, but Ginny was having an animated conversation with Neville. He watched for a moment. Everytime he saw her smile, he was reminded quite forcibly of Jamie, and even now, the way Ginny was waving her arms around to emphasize what she was saying made him think of her.

Shay was looking forward to Christmas break. He needed to get away from the tension in his House, and it would be good to see Jamie. He was wondering how the Weasleys would react to seeing him-especially Bill Weasley, who spent much time with Fleur Delacour. Would he see the resemblance?

Over at the Gryffindor table, Neville suddenly frowned and said something to Ginny. Ginny whirled and looked toward the door, and Shay followed her gaze. What he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Three people had just walked into the Great Hall-Fleur Delacour, a tall man with a red ponytail who could only be Bill Weasley, and...and Gabrielle. Shay stared at the slight blond girl in utter disbelief. What's going on? What is she doing here? He felt frozen to his seat. He tore his eyes off of Gabrielle, and they landed on Neville. He realized with a very odd feeling that this was the first time in his entire life that he had ever seen his parents in the same room.

Ginny ran to meet her brother, and they had a brief conversation. Then Ginny scanned the Great Hall, and her eyes locked on Shay. She hurried over to him. "Shay," she said in a low voice, "Jamie's missing."

Those two words shoved everything else out of his mind-he would deal with seeing Gabrielle later. "What?" he said sharply. "What do you mean, missing?"

"I don't know the details, but Bill said he needs to talk to Dumbledore. I told him Dumbledore's probably in his office," Ginny said.

"I'm coming with you," Shay said immediately. He followed Ginny over to Bill, Fleur, and Gabrielle. All three of them stared at him.

"This is Shay. Jamie's friend," Ginny said, giving Bill a pointed look.

Bill's eyes widened, and he looked from Shay to the Delacours and back. Well, I guess that answers my question about whether he'd recognize my resemblance to the Delacours, Shay thought grimly. "What happened to Jamie?" he asked, pointedly avoiding looking at Gabrielle.

"I...don't know," Bill admitted. "I'll explain once we find Dumbledore."

Shay gritted his teeth, but followed alongside Ginny as they headed out of the entrance hall. It didn't take long to reach the stone gargoyle leading to Dumbledore's office. Shay had never been here, but Will had told him about it.

"I don't know the password," Ginny said.

"Neither do I, but knowing Dumbledore, it has to be something sweet." Bill faced the gargoyle and began naming sweets. When he reached 'sugar quill,' the gargoyle jumped aside, revealing a moving staircase. The five of them went upstairs, and Bill knocked on Dumbledore's office.

The door swung open, revealing Dumbledore standing beside his fire. He turned, frowning when he saw who was at his door, obviously realizing something urgent was going on. "Please, come in." He waited until they were inside, and then conjured five chairs out of the air. He sat behind his desk and waited for the group to sit down. Shay remained standing, arms crossed tightly against his chest.

Bill didn't waste anytime. "Dumbledore, Death Eaters might have Jamie."

"What?" Shay's head snapped to Bill, and the worry over hearing the words 'Jamie's missing' changed into a hard knot of fear in his stomach.

Dumbledore leaned forward. "What happened?"

It was Fleur who spoke. "We were attacked," she said, glancing down at Gabrielle. "We were walking 'ome from Diagon Alley, and we were attacked by Deaz Eaters."

"Seven of zem," Gabrielle piped up. Shay spared her a glance and saw that she was pale-faced and looked frightened, but she had a stubborn set to her jaw. "I zought zey were going to kill us," she whispered.

"What was Jamie doing in Diagon Alley?" Shay demanded.

Ginny was obviously wondering the same thing. "She's supposed to be at the Burrow!"

"She came to Diagon Alley with me," Bill said tiredly. "In disguise, of course."

Shay's jaw knotted, and he leaned forward slightly toward Bill. "Why would you have taken her out of the Burrow, in disguise or not?" Didn't they know anything? Didn't they realize how dangerous it was, especially for Jamie? What if something happened to her disguise? What if-

"He did so with my permission," Dumbledore said quietly. "I thought a day out would be good for her." He sighed, and tapped his long fingers on his desk. "I certainly didn't anticipate this."

Shay's temper flared up, and it was all he could do to keep himself from exploding at the headmaster. Something had happened to Jamie, and all he could say was that he hadn't anticipated it? In a deathly low voice, Shay bit out, "You didn't anticipate this?"

Bill quickly intervened, keeping Shay from saying anything else. "I think Jamie did something to get us away," he said. "One second we were standing on a street in London, and the next, Fleur vanished. Then...well, it felt like being whipped around in a very violent wind, and then I was lying flat on my back in Hogsmeade with Fleur...Gabrielle appeared a moment later."

Shay knew instantly what Jamie had done, and he closed his eyes, then opened them again. "She Displaced you." She sent them away. She realized what could happen if Fleur or Gabrielle were caught, and she saved them.

"Displaced?" Fleur repeated questioningly. "I 'ave never 'eard of zis."

"Seamus?" Dumbledore prodded quietly.

Shay glanced briefly at Gabrielle and Fleur, trying to decide whether he should say anything of importance in front of them. Finally, he sighed and said, "She cast a Displacement Spell on each of them."

"What's a Displacement Spell?" Ginny asked.

"It was developed to be used on children, Muggles-anyone who couldn't Apparate," Shay explained. "It's a very rough way of traveling, and it's not exact. Jamie probably sent them to Hogsmeade, but she wouldn't have been able to tell where in Hogsmeade they would appear." And then what? Jamie would have tried to Apparate...she wouldn't have gone to the Burrow; she wouldn't have wanted to risk leading the Death Eaters to the Weasleys. She would have gone after Bill, Fleur, and Gabrielle, to make sure they were all right. There could be nasty side-effects to being Displaced for the first time, including unconsciousness, and she wouldn't have left them knowing that. She had sent them to Hogsmeade, which meant she had been trying to get them to Hogwarts. He shook his head. "She should have come after you," he said shortly. "She probably would have Apparated to Hogwarts' gates."

"She wouldn't have been able to Apparate. I tried to do it when we were fighting the Death Eaters, to get behind them. They must have cast an Anti-Disapparation Jinx. We searched all over Hogsmeade, and we couldn't find her anywhere. And Jamie wasn't at Hogwarts gates when we passed." Bill sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Dumbledore... I cast a Conversion Charm on her to disguise her."

"What time?" Dumbledore asked pressingly.

"I cast it at about noon. It will wear off at around midnight. If the Death Eaters have her..."

Shay clenched his jaw so tightly it hurt, fighting down the roiling mass of emotion that was threatening to overtake him. If Jamie's disguise wore off, and the Death Eaters did have her, they wouldn't fail to notice her resemblance to Harry.

"We have to get her back," Ginny said.

Dumbledore looked at her over his spectacles. "We first have to find out if the Death Eaters do indeed have her, and we have to find out if she's alive," he said gently.

Shay had been carefully avoiding thinking about that idea. He knew it was a possibility. If Jamie had been unable to Apparate, she would have tried to Displace herself...but she still would have tried to meet with Bill and the Delacours. He was sure of it. If she couldn't Displace herself, she had been overcome. Would the Death Eaters have seen reason to keep her alive? She wouldn't have looked like anyone important to them. Would they have just killed her on the spot, or would they have taken her so they could torture her?

Shay was used to death; he had seen it his entire life. He had lost his father, his mother...Ron and Hermione, who had raised him from the time he was seven...he had lost people he fought beside, and he had always known that he, Will, and Jamie, risked death everyday. He had thought himself prepared for anything, but he found himself unable to face the thought of Jamie being dead. The very idea hurt like a physical blow. Images of deaths he had seen flashed through his mind, and he couldn't deal with Jamie ending up like that. She deserved a chance to live.

Shay stalked toward the door. "I need to talk to Will," he said stonily. Fear and anger swarmed through him, and all he knew was that he had to get Will, and they had to find out what had happened to Jamie.

Dumbledore held up a hand. "Seamus, please sit down for a-"

Shay ignored him, tugging on the door handle, but it wouldn't open. "Let me out."

"Seamus, please sit down. There are some things we need to sort out; give me a chance to see if I can find out what happened to Jamie." Dumbledore stood up. "And if you want to help her, then I'm going to need some questions answered. Please wait here. I also need to speak with Bill and Fleur. Gabrielle," Dumbledore looked kindly at the small girl. "Would you mind going with Ginny for a little while so I can talk with your sister?"

Gabrielle looked at Fleur, who nodded and whispered something to her.

"Ginny, would you mind accompanying Gabrielle to Gryffindor Tower? I will send word as soon as I can. Please ask William to wait there."

Ginny nodded numbly. "Of course." She motioned to Gabrielle, and they walked through the door, which opened for her. Shay experienced a small sense of relief that at least he didn't have to be in the same room as Gabrielle anymore.

"Please excuse me for a few minutes. I'm going to see what can be learned about the attack tonight, and about what might have happened to Jamie." Dumbledore stood up and walked into a room in the back.

Shay sat down on one of the chairs in front of his desk and buried his face in his hands. Damn it! This was Bill's fault; if he hadn't taken Jamie out of the Burrow...then again, if Jamie hadn't been stupid enough to leave the Burrow...

He realized that it wasn't Bill's fault, nor was it Jamie's, but he didn't know where to direct his frustration.

Fleur's soft voice broke him out of his reverie. "'oo are you?" Shay looked up to see her staring at him with a great deal of confusion on her face. "You are quite obviously part-veela-as I am part-veela; I recognize zis in you, but I want to know why you look so much like my family."

Shay considered her for a long moment. Would she believe the truth? Did she need to be told? Yes...because there's more she's going to have to know. She, of all people, will have to know, if only to protect herself and Gabrielle.

He didn't answer for a minute, but finally, in a curt voice, he said, "Because Gabrielle is my mother."

Jamie awoke flat on her back. It was pitch black, and she was very disoriented. She laid motionless for a long moment, trying to figure out where she was. What happened?Then it came back to her. She had been in the process of Displacing herself when a curse had been aimed at her. She certainly wasn't in Hogsmeade; she must have been knocked off course. She wasn't sure if the curse had actually hit her; she thought it was more likely that it had simply disrupted the Displacement.

The first thing she felt for was her wand, and she was relieved to find it on the ground in front of her, but her heart plummeted when she realized that it was broken in half. The only thing that held it together was the unicorn hair that ran through the core. Great. Just bloody great!

She still wasn't able to see anything, and wondered with a moment of panic if the Death Eaters spell had hit her after all, and if it had perhaps blinded her. She held her hand in front of her face, and to her relief, she saw the outline of her fingers. All right, so she wasn't blind, it was just really, really dark. And she couldn't even use her wand for light.

She tried to sit up and gasped in pain. As if the movement had awakened injuries, she felt her right ankle searing in agony, and her head pounded. She touched it and felt blood. The rest of her body was sore, too, as if she had dropped onto the ground from a height. That was a possibility; if the Displacement had gone awry, she might have appeared ten feet in the air.

Very carefully, she pushed herself to a sitting position, wincing as streaks of fire ran through her limbs. By now, she could see vague shapes that she realized were trees. The ground around her was covered in leaves. There wasn't any snow on the ground, and the air smelled of pine, which meant that the trees were probably so thick that no snow fell through. It was still freezing outside, and Jamie was glad she had been wearing her coat.

Where am I? Her first thought was the Forbidden Forest. She wasn't sure if it was possible to Apparate or Displace to the Forbidden Forest-but perhaps if she had been knocked off course during her Displacement, she had been dropped in there unintentionally. It was not a comforting thought. She had heard many a tale of the things that lurked in the woods outside of Hogwarts. Acromantulas, ferocious centaurs, and all sorts of other unpleasant creatures. Of course, she didn't even know that this was the Forbidden Forest. It could be a perfectly ordinary wood somewhere between London and Hogsmeade, which didn't exactly narrow things down.

She leaned against a tree and reached down to feel her ankle. It was swollen and hurt worse at the slightest pressure. She guessed it was broken. Even better, she sighed.

She hesitated. She could always try to Apparate; as long as she knew where she was going, it would work-of course, if she was in the Forbidden Forest, she wasn't sure it would work. She also didn't know how far away from Hogsmeade she was, and Apparation was tiring. She was already exhausted from being Displaced, and she was injured. Right now she wasn't even sure she had the energy to Apparate if her life depended on it.

And what had happend to Bill, Fleur, and Gabrielle? Were they all right? Had they reacted well to the Displacement? Had they reached Hogwarts safely? She had meant to go to them and make sure they weren't hurt or unconscious, but that obviously hadn't worked out too well. Had the Death Eaters heard her Displace them, or herself? She had tried to be quiet about it, but had been rather loud when Displacing herself. Of course, one of the other Death Eaters had shouted a spell at the same time. Would they have heard the 'Hogsmeade' part of it, and Apparated there? Did I just make things worse?

A long, low howl echoed throughout the woods, and Jamie froze. Wolf? Werewolf? Is it a normal forest, and just an ordinary wolf? Is it even a full moon tonight? She tried to think...had she seen the moon when walking through London? No, it was cloudy...I don't know if its full!

The howl rang out again, and she wasn't sure if it was closer or not. I have to get out of here. She tucked her broken wand into her robe and pushed herself to her good foot. Standing made her head and ankle throb. Where am I going, though? It doesn't really matter...I'll just get away from here, and when I've recovered a bit, I'll try to Apparate. Not to Hogsmeade, though...just in case the Death Eaters did hear me and went there. I'll go to the Shrieking Shack.

As a third howl resounded through the forest, Jamie hopped to left, grabbing onto trees that she could barely see for support. Tears of pain poured down her cheeks, but she bit her tongue to keep from making any noise. She didn't want to attract any attention in here-wherever here was.

After a few minutes, she had to stop to lean against a tree, breathing hard. She was dizzy and sick to her stomach. When Shay finds out about all of this, he's going to kill me. She sighed again. And I have no idea if I'm going in circles! I wonder if my wand will work for a Four-Point Spell. She pulled it out of her pocket and straightened the wood, holding the broken ends together. Cautiously, she laid it flat on her palm. "Point Me," she whispered. A flash of pink and green sparks shot out of the broken middle of the wand, and then the wand spun slowly toward the left. To test to see if it was really working, she turned around and again said, "Point Me." More sparks, and the wand rotated to point right. "Yes!" She wasn't going to try to use the wand for anything else; she had heard too many stories about her Uncle Ron's disastrous episodes with a broken wand during his second year. The last thing she wanted was to be belching slugs or something.

Taking a deep breath, she continued through the trees, using the Four-Point Spell to keep moving north. It was slow going, but she eventually found the trees thinning a bit. Patches of sky could be seen overhead, and Jamie glimpsed stars. Well, I'm away from London...or else the clouds just cleared up. She was glad for it; it allowed more light to shine down, but there still wasn't enough room for snow to fall through. It also enabled her to see her hair color for the first time. It was still light brown, which meant that however long she'd been unconscious, it was not yet midnight.

Jamie continued cautiously through the woods. She was just thinking, I expect this must be a perfectly ordinary forest, after all, when she felt a sudden gust of hot air on her back. Her head snapped around, and what she saw froze her in her tracks in horror. There was an enormous fur-covered head several feet from her face. A long snout protruded in the middle of it, with whiskers as thick as yarn coming out of it. Huge, angry eyes considered her hungrily. The creature bared its long, sharp teeth, and a thick string of drool oozed from its mouth, landing with a wet splat at Jamie's feet.

Barely thinking, Jamie yanked herself around one of the huge trees just as the creature lunged. Crashing footsteps echoed as the monster bounded past the tree and whirled around to face her. For the first time, she got a good look at it, and she realized with a surge of fear just what she was facing.

It was a three-headed dog. And if her memory proved correct, it was probably the same three-headed dog that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had had to sneak past to save the Stone in their first year. What was its name? Furry? Fleecy? Fluffy. That's it. And of course, that probably meant she was in the Forbidden Forest after all. What other place would have gigantic three-headed beasts?

The dog heads sniffed, and three pairs of eyes fixed on her. Jamie decided that anyone who would name this monster Fluffy had something seriously wrong with him. She remembered that when Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione told stories about the trials in rescuing the Stone, they had said that music put Fluffy to sleep. Well, that's convenient. I don't have anything musical! She wondered if singing would work, then decided that with her voice, that would probably only anger the dog heads further.

The dog heads plunged forward in unison, and Jamie threw herself to the side, landing flat on the ground. Her broken ankle hit a root, and she screamed. For a moment, blackness threatened her mind, but she fought it off, crawling on her arms and good leg into a thick brush in front of her. Hopefully the creature wouldn't be able to get through.

Moments later, the brush ripped out of the ground, and Jamie looked up to see the head on the left shaking it in its teeth. I'm going to have to try to Apparate! She concentrated, but nothing happened. She wasn't sure if it was just because she was so exhausted, or if it was because it was impossible to Apparate in the Forbidden Forest.

Just as one of the heads was about to bite into her leg, all three heads yelped and jerked back. A series of thwaps echoed through the air, accompanied by hoofbeats. Jamie caught sight of at least a dozen centaurs surrounding Fluffy, shooting arrows at it. Fluffy growled and snarled, snapping at the centaurs, but after a few moments, the giant three-headed dog bounded off into the woods and disappeared.

Jamie breathed a sigh of relief and sank back on the forest floor, her wand pieces still clutched in her hand. The next instant, she was yanked off of the ground and deposited on her feet. She didn't have time to take the weight off of her right ankle, and she bit back another scream, collapsing to the ground and clutching her ankle.

"She is injured," a slow, plaintive voice said, and through the tears that stung her eyes, Jamie could make out the form of a pale centaur moving to join one that stood directly in front of her.

"She should not be in our forest!" an angry voice said, and the centaur in front of her grabbed her by the back of her coat and lifted her off the ground. "This is the second time we have stopped humans in here today, and I will not suffer it! The other humans may have gotten away, but this one will not! She may have been sent to finish their work." He gave her a hard shake, which made her head spin and her stomach roil. "What of it, human? Have you come to take bits of our forest, too?"

Jamie was afraid, and sensibly so, but despite her fear, she was confused and curious. Other humans had been in the forest earlier? And what was this about finishing their work? "I haven't taken anything, and I didn't come here to finish anyone's work! I didn't mean to come here at all!"

"Look at her, Bane," a black centaur said. "She is obviously a student at the school."

"The students of that accursed school know better than to come here!" Bane, the centaur who held Jamie several feet in the air, snarled.

"I'm...not a student at Hogwarts..." Jamie choked out. "And I came here...by accident. Please, I just want to find my way out of the forest!"

"She is young, Bane. We do not harm foals."

"She is not so young," Bane retorted. "And she should not have trespassed!"

"I swear I didn't mean to come here!" Jamie said for the third time, praying that the centaurs wouldn't kill her. Even in her own time, they had not been on friendly terms with humans at all. The cardinal rule of dealing with centaurs was 'don't go near them, and they'll leave you alone.'

Bane shook her again, and Jamie swallowed, trying to keep from being sick. "Who are you?"

Closing her eyes against the sparks that flashed in her eyes, Jamie answered dizzily, "J-Jamie. My name is Jamie. Please, let me leave. I have no desire to ever come back." Wild thestrals couldn't make me come back in here, just please, please let me get out!

"Let her go, Bane," a brown and white centaur spoke in a gravelly voice. The speaker looked older than the other centaurs.

Bane dropped her for a second time, but Jamie was ready for it, and managed to keep off of her right leg as she fell back onto the ground. "If you come back to this forest after tonight, human, we will not be merciful."

The centaurs galloped off as quickly as they'd come, leaving Jamie sitting on the ground, shivering because of the cold and because of her injuries. Tears prickled in her eyes, but she fought them back, gritting her teeth and forcing herself to her good leg again. At least she knew she had been heading in the right direction; Hogwarts was to the north of the Forbidden Forest. If she just continued that way...

Taking a deep breath, Jamie opened the fist clenching her wand. Carefully, she straightened it again. "Point Me," she whispered. With more sparks, the wand spun and pointed north. Gritting her teeth, Jamie pushed herself forward. She hopped and stumbled from tree to tree, she felt her vision beginning to get darker, stopping from time to time, blinking and straining to keep herself conscious. When she finally stumbled out of the forest and saw Hogwarts castle looming ahead, she wanted to cry in there.

Unfortunately, there were no trees to hold onto for support now, and she didn't have the strength to hop on one foot all the way up to the castle. Her eyes scanned the grounds, and she realized that there was a light on in the cabin nearby-Hagrid's cabin, if she remembered correctly. I thought Hagrid was gone, though? That's what Will and Shay said...maybe he came back.

Jamie crept her way over to the cabin, and when she reached it, she clung to the doorframe and knocked on the door. Loud, deep barking resounded through the cabin, and then the door swung open. When Jamie saw who stood at the door, she sagged in relief. "Charlie!"

Jamie started to wake up when she felt someone holding her head and trying to get her to swallow something. She fought them, thinking, Poison! Someone's trying to poison me! Someone gripped her arms, and she thought she heard Shay's voice saying something to her. Then her world went dark again.

When she really woke up-incredibly tired of blacking out and waking up-she found herself lying in a bed and blinking up at a ceiling. Where am I? What happened? The last thing she remembered was Charlie Weasley's bewildered face... She slowly looked around, and her heart sank in relief when she saw Shay sitting on a seat beside her. His head was resting in his hands, and he looked more weary than Jamie ever remembered seeing him. I'm in the infirmary at Hogwarts.

She frowned and watched Shay for a minute. He so rarely put his guard down, but right now, it looked as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She felt a pang in her chest; he seemed so sad.

He must have felt her watching him, because his head suddenly snapped up. He stared at her so intensely that Jamie braced herself for an outpouring of wrath, but to her great surprise, Shay stood up and enfolded her in a fierce embrace. Momentarily stunned, she blinked, and then wrapped her arms around him. She could count on one hand the number of times Shay had ever hugged her-he was just not a touchy-feely person.

She took a deep breath and let it out, feeling herself relax. She and Shay might clash a lot, but he was safe. She felt a strange reluctance when he pulled away, and then his sharp blue eyes were locked on hers. The most pressing thing on her mind spilled out. "Bill...Bill and Fleur and Gabrielle-are they all right? What happened to them? Did the Death Eaters get them?"

"They're fine," Shay said, turning the chair beside Jamie's bed around and straddling it. "They're all here, at Hogwarts. You got them out." Shay looked at her, and an emotion Jamie couldn't quite place flashed in his eyes. "Thank you."

The thanks surprised her again, but before she could reply, he continued, "Do you have any idea what you put us through tonight?"

Tonight...it's still the same day? Her eyes caught sight of a clock on the wall, and she saw that it was a quarter after three. Middle of the night, she thought. "I'm sorry, Shay," Jamie said wearily. "I messed up, all right? The Death Eaters almost captured me."

"Ja-" Shay tried to interrupt, but Jamie pressed on.

"I used several curses from the future, and I don't know what the Death Eaters heard. Voldemort will probably hear about it, and wonder who I am."

"Jam-"

"It's my fault, and I know it, all right? I should have stayed at the Burrow, I should have-"

"Jamie! Would you shut up?" Shay cut in, exasperated. "I was just going to say that I'm glad you're all right.

She blinked. "Oh." She wound her fingers together nervously and shook her head. "But what I said is true. I should have been more careful." Her hair fell into her face, and she vaguely noticed that it was back to its normal black.

"Jamie..." Shay sighed. "I was upset when Dumbledore said you'd gone to Diagon Alley, but he was right when he told me it was never expected this would happen. You didn't know, and you did the best you could. No one was captured or killed, though for a while we weren't sure...we thought that the Death Eaters had you. Or had killed you."

Jamie knew well what it was like to wait and wonder if someone you cared about was captured or dead. She had experienced it before, and she didn't wish it on anyone, let alone Shay and Will. "I'm sorry," she repeated. "They would have captured me...after I Displaced Bill and Fleur and Gabrielle." She quickly explained what had happened, and how she had ended up in the Forbidden Forest. "I got lucky. If the Death Eaters hadn't put me under the Imperius Curse, I wouldn't be here. They didn't know I could fight it. I was so scared, Shay. I was afraid they would torture me and that I would tell them something that would help them..."

"You wouldn't have told them anything," Shay said sharply.

"How do you know?" Jamie looked up and again met Shay's eyes. The emotion she had seen a minute ago was there again, and she still couldn't figure out what it was.

"Because I know you," Shay replied simply.

Jamie bit her lip and swallowed. She was quiet for a minute, and when she thought her voice would be steady, she said, "Where's Will?"

"With Dumbledore. Dumbledore came in here and asked us to come with him. He asked us to tell him the story of our future-he said the time had come when he needed to know details."

"Did you tell him?" Jamie wondered how much of a fight Shay had put up.

"Will went with him to tell him. I stayed here with you. So did she." Shay nodded toward the other side of Jamie, and she turned, seeing for the first time that Ginny Weasley was sleeping in the hospital bed beside hers. "Your dad and the others who came to see you went back to Gryffindor Tower to wait until morning. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let them all stay here, but Ginny insisted."

She stayed...she insisted on staying. Something twisted in Jamie's heart. Believing that Ginny cared about her was one thing, but seeing it firsthand made her want to cry. "I need to talk to Dumbledore, Shay. The centaurs in the Forbidden Forest...they said other humans had been in there earlier, doing...something. They thought I might be there to finish some kind of work for them-they asked if I had come to 'take bits of their forest, too.' I was a bit confused as to what they were talking about, but I think Dumbledore should know about it."

Shay nodded. "He said he'd be back to check on you, and I'm sure he'll want to talk to you."

Jamie nodded, then frowned. "Is Madam Pomfrey the one who made me drink something a while ago? I think I remember something like that..."

"She was trying to give you medicine. Charlie Weasley carried you up here; he was down at Hagrid's cabin feeding Hagrid's dog, Fang. He said you knocked on the door and then passed out. You looked awful-bloody head, broken ankle, completely pale-but you wouldn't take the medicine," Shay said with a touch of exasperation. "It took a minute to calm you down enough so you'd swallow it."

Jamie sighed and leaned back on her pillow, feeling exhausted. "Shay..." she hesitated, and looked at him again. She wanted to ask him a couple of questions, but she was pretty sure he would close himself off again, and she didn't want that. It had been several months since she had seen him, and she didn't want this to become an argument.

Shay knew her too well. He folded his arms across the chair back, and just as she had expected, his face became a mask. "Yes," he said flatly. "I met Gabrielle. She's with Professor McGonagall right now. I only saw her for a little bit, when she first arrived at Hogwarts."

"But?" Jamie sensed there was more to it.

Shay was quiet for a moment, and then he said flatly, "I'm considering staying at Hogwarts over Christmas break."

"What? Why?" She had so been looking forward to spending time with Shay and Will, and things were already prepared at the Burrow...

"I talked to Fleur," Shay said abruptly.

Jamie froze, her eyes locked on Shay's face. His eyes met hers, but they were as masked of emotion as the rest of his face. "You...told her?"

"Everything." Shay's jaw knotted, and he looked away. "She needed to know. If she already knows about it, there's less of a chance that Voldemort will also learn about it."

"As long as she's very, very careful," Jamie said. "And even then, it might come out eventually." She sighed. "What about...what about Gabrielle?" And how did this all tie into his not wanting to come to the Burrow for Christmas?

"I talked it over with Fleur, and we both agreed that Gabrielle doesn't need to know any of this. She doesn't need to know that I'm her son in the future; Fleur wants her to be at a point where she can better understand and accept it, and I agree. I don't think she should find out now, if ever. Her eleventh birthday is coming up, but I'm always going to be six years older than her in this time. And there's no reason she needs to know the rest of it yet. Fleur can teach her soon enough." Shay was silent for a moment, and then he said, "Jamie, Bill was on duty with the Order yesterday morning, before you went to Diagon Alley."

Jamie still didn't see where this was going, and she was beginning to get a bit irritated. She forced back her annoyance. "And?"

"He had spent the night at the Order's headquarters, because he had to be on duty really early. The plan was that one of the other members of the Order would relieve him of duty-which he did-and then Bill went home before picking you up at the Burrow. Dumbledore said he thinks Bill might have been followed, and that's how the Death Eaters knew where he lived...and then they staged an ambush outside his building."

Jamie shook her head, confused, and Shay sighed, "Don't you see? The Death Eaters saw Fleur, too. She's not safe, either. In fact, Fleur's joined the Order. She and Gabrielle are going to be living in the Order's headquarters for now-so is Bill. They can't go home, and they've had to take a leave from work, since it's not safe for anyone in Diagon Alley if they go back right now, just in case the Death Eaters try something else. Dumbledore thinks Bill was attacked simply because he is part of the Order, and the Death Eaters wanted information. The whole ordeal is Order-related. And-" here he looked at her pointedly. "-the Weasleys have moved to headquarters. Dumbledore went with them to escort Molly there earlier-he's Secret-Keeper for the Order, and he was the only one who could let her in. He thinks it'll be safer if they're not at the Burrow."

"Ohhh." Jamie frowned in understanding. It didn't surprise her that Shay was running away from Gabrielle-though he would never admit that was what he was doing. He was scared-also something he wouldn't confess to; he wouldn't even admit it to himself. "Shay...you can't avoid Gabrielle for the rest of your life."

"I know," Shay said testily. "I'm just not sure I'm going to go to the Order's headquarters for Christmas."

"Shay..." How to convince him without getting him angry? It would be good for him to be around Gabrielle for a while-he would get used to seeing her, and it would make life a lot easier on him in the future. Not only that- "Shay, you have to come," she pleaded. "Christmas wouldn't be the same without you. I've never had a Christmas without you there." He opened his mouth to argue, and she cut him off. "Please. I want you to be there." She wasn't sure he would do it, even though she was asking, but it was worth a try.

Shay's blue eyes pierced her for a moment, and finally he nodded once. "Fine," he said curtly. "I'll come."

Jamie smiled, feeling relieved. "Thank you." She had another thought, and frowned. "What about Percy? He doesn't know about the Order, and Mrs. Weasley said he was supposed to be coming for Christmas."

"Apparently, he stopped by to see your grandmother earlier, and told her that Minister Fudge asked him to travel to France with him over the Christmas holidays. Something about meeting with the French Minister of Magic to discuss international security," Shay said.

"Oh."

Shay stretched and stood up. "Hungry?"

The mention of food brought Jamie's empty stomach to her attention, and she nodded. "Very. I haven't eaten since Bill and I first got to Diagon Alley," she admitted.

"I'll just swing by the kitchens and see about grabbing you some food. We'll sneak it past Madam Pomfrey if she comes out here." Shay offered her one of his very rare smiles, and headed out of the hospital wing.

Author notes: Well...it seems that all of my chapters lately get written and rewritten and rewritten again before being finished. This one was originally very different, butsome characters just wouldn't cooperate, or decided they didn't want to be in the story until later (like Luna, who was supposed to be in this chapter), so this is how it ended up. Gotta love characters. ;) This chapter just had to be the way it is. There are some things that needed to happen. Most of the scene between Shay and Jamie at the end wasn't originally supposed to be in there, either; they just decided to have it. I think it turned out well, though, and it gave a glimpse of some of the relationship between Shay and Jamie without their arguing, which we hadn't seen in this story yet.

The next chapter will hopefully cover Christmas break and Christmas, though there are several things that have to happen during this time, and I don't know how long it'll end up being. I'm hoping to fit it into one chapter.

Chapter Twenty-One ~ Christmas Gifts

Harry was awake before any of his dormmates on Friday morning, and the first thing he did was go down to the infirmary to see how Jamie was doing. She had looked terrible when she had been brought in the previous evening. He hadn't actually realized until last night just how much he was worried for her welfare. Granted, she was still a mystery to him in a lot of ways-he didn't really know her that well, except through the letters Ginny shared with him.

When Harry stepped into the hospital wing, the first thing he heard was Jamie's voice. "I'm fine. Really. I don't need any more medicine."

"That is for me to decide," Madam Pomfrey said curtly.

Harry stepped forward. Jamie's back was to him, but Madam Pomfrey was glaring at her with her 'you will do what I tell you to' look. Ginny was sitting in a chair beside Jamie's bed, and she looked over when Harry came in. A grin lit up her face, and she waved him over.

"I don't like medicine," Jamie said warily.

"Now, this is ridiculous! You are just as stubborn as your father! And you are going to take this potion," Madam Pomfrey said crossly.

Well, Dumbledore at least told Madam Pomfrey some of it.

Jamie sighed, but took the cup from Madam Pomfrey. "There's not any sleeping draft in here, is there?" she asked suspiciously.

"Oh, for heaven's sake! No! Although if you weren't leaving very shortly, I would have given it to you. Heaven knows you need it!"

"All right." Jamie quickly swallowed the potion and handed the glass back to Madam Pomfrey. Muttering under her breath, Madam Pomfrey strode into her office.

"Nice to see you up and about," Harry said as he reached Jamie's hospital bed.

Jamie's head swiveled toward him, a look of surprise on her face. "Harry! I didn't hear you come in."

It gave Harry quite a jolt to see her. He had seen her briefly last night, of course, but she had still been in disguise-and unconscious-at the time. Now he was again faced with her black hair and bright green eyes. He was relieved that he didn't feel nearly as awkward as he had thought he might.

"I think you were too busy questioning Madam Pomfrey's motives," Ginny said wryly. "Taking medicine isn't that bad, you know."

"It is when your aunt and uncle drill into you a fear of swallowing anything when you aren't sure what it's composed of," Jamie said, half a smile on her face.

Ginny winced. "I guess so."

"Where are Will and Shay?" Harry asked. "I expected them to be here."

"Will spent most of the night talking with Dumbledore, and Shay was up with me most of the night," Jamie said. "They went to get breakfast a little bit ago. They should be back soon."

Harry sat down in a chair beside Ginny's. "I heard you broke your wand."

Jamie winced. "Yes. As far as I can tell, I was almost hit with a curse when I was Displaced. The curse disrupted the Displacement spell, and of course, I ended up in the Forbidden Forest. I think I appeared mid-air, and when I landed, I broke my ankle and my wand. I might have landed on it. Professor Dumbledore said he was going to bring me a new one." She sighed. "I wish I still had mine...I'm grateful Professor Dumbledore is getting a new one for me, don't get me wrong," she put in hurriedly. "I just...I've had the same wand since my Aunt Hermione gave it to me when I was five. It'll be weird using a new one."

Harry stayed and talked with Jamie and Ginny for a while. The conversation stayed light, which was needed between all three of them. It was the first time they had ever been alone together, and Harry had the sense that all of them were feeling the situation out. When Will and Shay returned from breafkast, Ginny patted Jamie on the arm. "I'm going to go; I need to get breafkast before classes start, but I'll see you tomorrow at headquarters, all right?"

Jamie nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Ginny."

"I'm going to head out, too," Harry said.

"All right. Bye, Harry."

"Bye."

Ginny waited for Harry, and they walked out of the hospital wing together. They passed Ron, Hermione, and Neville in the hallway. "Oh, good morning! Is Jamie awake?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, and I'm sure she'll be glad to see you," Ginny replied. She and Harry continued down the hall. Ginny had an odd frown on her face, a look that Harry had come to recognize.

"What's bothering you, Gin?" Harry asked as they ran into other students making their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Hmm? Oh..." Ginny sighed and glanced around the hallway.

Understanding that she didn't want to talk around all these people, Harry suggested, "Do you want to grab some breakfast and take it outside to talk?"

Ginny nodded. "That sounds good. How about I run up to the Tower and grab our cloaks, and you can get some breakfast for us?"

"Toast all right?"

"Toast is fine. With extra butter, please."

Harry headed into the Great Hall while Ginny turned and sprinted for Gryffindor Tower. They met in the entrance hall, donned their winter cloaks, and Harry passed Ginny several slices of thickly buttered toast. Finally, they headed out onto the snow-covered grounds.

In the past couple of months, it had become commonplace to see the two of them walking the path around the lake and just talking. Harry still spent a lot of his time with Ron and Hermione, but he found himself spending more time with Ginny-and on occasion, Neville-than he ever had in the past. Sometimes he just felt like he was intruding on Ron and Hermione's 'date time,' and sometimes it was just because Ginny invited him to go with her. Rumors had spread through Gryffindor that he and Ginny were an item, but both ignored what other people said. What other people thought seemed so unimportant in the light of everything that had happened to him in the past year.

Harry wondered, on occasion, if he would have been as good friends with Ginny if Jamie and the others hadn't traveled back to this time. After all, in the original timeline, Ron and Hermione hadn't been a couple until the end of the year, so would he and Ginny have spent less time together? Probably. He had to admit that he was happy things had turned out this way; Ginny was a great person.

Harry was quiet as they walked around the frozen lake, waiting for Ginny to tell him what was bothering her. She munched on her toast, and when she had finished eating it, she said, "Dumbledore told us he thinks Bill was followed yesterday morning."

Harry nodded. "After he got off duty with the Order."

"And that's just it. Why would the Death Eaters have had reason to follow Bill?" Ginny's gaze was distant. "Jamie told me that she heard the Death Eaters say that they were supposed to capture Bill, but when he got away, they were going to take Jamie in for questioning because they thought she might be 'part of it.' It sounds like the Death Eaters meant part of the Order-or at least the active fight against Voldemort." Ginny stopped and turned away from Harry to face the frozen lake. "Did you know that there are protections against anyone finding out about the Order? Someone can only find out about it if they're told by someone who already knows about it. And the identities of Order members are safeguarded, too. No one-not You-Know-Who, or Death Eaters, or anyone else-could have known that Bill was part of anything that related to the Order, unless someone who knew he was 'part of it' told the Death Eaters."

Harry sucked in his breath. "Ginny-you don't think..."

Ginny turned to face him. "If Bill was on duty yesterday, and he was followed home...how would any of the Death Eaters have known where to find him? I talked to Bill, and he told me it wasn't my problem to worry about." Ginny sighed and shook her head. "Overprotective older brothers. I pointed out that my daughter had been in danger, and I deserved to know how that had happened. He tried arguing the technicalities of that, but I won, and he finally said that Kingsley Shacklebolt was the only person who knew where he was going to be. They were at Grimmauld Place yesterday morning when they were discussing where they needed to be, and Kingsley relieved Bill of duty."

"I have a hard time believing that Kingsley did anything to bring Bill to harm," Harry said.

"He didn't. He was almost attacked by Death Eaters, too, Harry. Late last night. Fortunately, he had been warned about what happened to Bill, and he was ready in case the Death Eaters attacked him. He set up a counter-trap for them. They all got away, but at least Kingsley wasn't hurt. The problem is that wherever Bill and Kingsley were, whatever they were doing for the Order, the Death Eaters knew where they were going to be, and they tried to go after both of them. Remember what Lupin and Tonks were talking about a couple of months ago?"

"Of course. We overheard them talking about someone getting information on the Order...but they said Dumbledore wasn't sure if it was a member of the Order that was leaking information, or if an outside person found a way to spy on them."

Ginny nodded. "I asked Will about it last night; I can't believe we didn't think of asking him before. Harry, he said that a spy was never uncovered; his parents told him that information was leaked on the Order for a while, but it stopped at the beginning of your seventh year, at the same time that Britain was attacked by giants and dementors. Cities were rampaged and flattened, and they weren't sure if that caused the information to stop coming somehow-but it did stop coming. The problem is the here and the now. Whatever's going on, I think it ties into this...spy, or whatever. And there's no guarantee it will stop in this timeline."

Harry rubbed the scar on his forehead absent-mindedly. "If we don't know how information is getting leaked, we don't know who or what is safe."

"Exactly. And Jamie, Will, and Shay are going to be staying at Grimmauld Place over the holidays, and Jamie will probably be staying longer. The Order's going to know about them. What if word gets back to You-Know-Who?"

"Grimmauld Place is safe," Harry said, frowning. "Dumbledore's Secret-Keeper. No one will be able to get them there."

"Yes, but what about once they leave? There's something else, Harry. Will's never been to Grimmauld Place. He said that it burned to the ground during your seventh year, which is why the Order operated for a while out of Hogwarts during my seventh year. We can't guarantee that it has nothing to do with the leaked information." Ginny looked very frustrated. "This is really, really bothering me. My family's been put in danger because of whatever's going on. And there's even more. Jamie also told me that in the original timeline, Bill and Fleur were captured, just like it almost happened last night. They were outside the building they live in, and they were ambushed by Death Eaters. It didn't happen until January, though. And Jamie wasn't there, obviously, and Gabrielle was still in France."

"What happened to Bill and Fleur after they were captured, in the original timeline?" Harry asked.

"Jamie said they managed to escape." Ginny sighed. "There are just too many pieces to this puzzle, and we need anything might help us figure out how to put it together." She was quiet for a moment, and then sighed again. "We should head back to the school. I have to be in Transfiguration shortly, and in all the excitement last night, I didn't finish my homework. I should try to get it done before class."

Harry nodded, and they headed back up to the school. Harry was lost in thought over the things Ginny had told him. What was happening to the Order? Tonks had been attacked while on duty in June, Bill had been ambushed on his way home last night, and Death Eaters had attempted to ambush Kingsley. The Order was in danger from somewhere unseen; what more damage would be done? And what about Jamie, Will, and Shay? Would word of who they were eventually get back to Voldemort? That was a very unpleasant thought. What would Voldemort do if he learned that Harry had a daughter from the future?

It was something Harry hoped he would never have to find out.

Later that morning, Bill opened the door to number twelve, Grimmauld Place and motioned Jamie, Fleur, and Gabrielle inside. Dumbledore had told them where headquarters could be found, so that they would be able to see it and enter. "Come on." Bill headed down the hallway.

Jamie jumped when curtains on the wall flung open to reveal a huge picture of an old woman. She looked furious, and appeared to be trying to scream something, but no sounds emerged.

"Oh, don't mind her," Bill said. "That was Sirius Black's mum. She used to scream profanities and insults until Remus figured out a way to keep her quiet."

"Hello!" Remus emerged at the top of the stairs and began walking down them. "Sorry, I was dealing with Kreacher. Bill, your parents had to go out this morning, but they said to tell you they should be back about noon."

"All right."

"Meanwhile, there are two bedrooms on the second floor that you three ladies can use. Fleur, Gabrielle, the one on the right is yours. Molly is still asleep in the one on the left right now, and you'll be sharing with her, and with Ginny and Hermione once they arrive, Jamie," Remus told Jamie, smiling at her. "I believe your grandparents brought your stuff over last night and put it in there."

"All right. Thanks." Jamie smiled shakily, fighting down the ever-present emotions his presence brought up in her.

"Zank you. I am going to get it situated, if zat is all right," Fleur said.

"Of course," Remus nodded.

Fleur headed upstairs, and Bill and Gabrielle followed. Jamie hesitated, looking at Remus, who smiled again at her. "Would you like some tea? I have a pot ready in the kitchen."

"I...I'd love some." Jamie followed Remus down into the kitchen, where he motioned for her to sit at one of the benches at the table. He poured two cups of tea. "Milk or sugar?"

"Both, please."

Remus added milk and sugar, and then passed her the teacup. Jamie held it gratefully, letting it warm her cold hands. She took a sip and released a deep breath, soothed a bit by the hot liquid. The Daily Prophet was lying on the table, and she caught a glimpse of the headline on the front page. Death Eater Attack in London! She pulled the paper over closer to her and read the first part of the story. It was the attack near Bill and Fleur's flats; apparently the Magical Law Enforcement had arrived not long after the Muggle police. After questioning Muggles who had been witnesses to the attack, they had been forced to perform numerous Memory Charms on them.

She stopped reading when Remus sat down across from her. "I apologize for not coming to the Burrow to see you, as I said I would. I've been rather busy. I didn't forget, though, and I wanted some time to sit down and talk with you." He studied her for a moment, then held out a wand. "Dumbledore delivered this to me this morning, and asked me to give it to you."

Jamie set her cup on the table so she could take it. "Thank you." Then she stopped and stared at it. "It's..."

"It's willow, thirteen inches, with a unicorn hair."

"It's...my old wand! How did...?"

"Dumbledore has his ways," Remus said.

Jamie grinned and tucked the wand carefully into her pocket. She would definitely have to thank Dumbledore later.

"Dumbledore also shared with me some of your future," Remus continued.

How many people did Dumbledore tell? Probably the whole Order, since we're staying at their headquarters. Did Will tell Dumbledore about Remus? How much would Will have said? Jamie wondered, feeling a bit panicky. She could barely meet Remus's eyes. Does he know? Does he hate me?

"You had a very dismal future. Your childhood was worse, I fear, than even your father's-and I didn't think that was possible."

Jamie felt her eyes welling with tears, and she looked down at her tea so that Remus wouldn't see her cry. "Did-" her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat. "Did Dumbledore tell you what happened to the Remus Lupin of the future?"

"No, only that I had died helping you find the Time-Turner that brought you back here," Remus said. Jamie heard him take a sip of his tea, and the click of a cup being set on the table.

Jamie's teacup shook in her hand, and she quickly put it on the table. "I-" I can't do this. I can't face him. I can't.

"Are you all right?" Remus asked in concern.

"I-" You can't just walk out of this, she told herself fiercely. You're the one who's been telling Shay to face his past; you can't ignore your own advice. She swallowed hard and looked up at him. "I was there when you died," she managed to whisper.

Sympathy and understanding flashed across Remus' face, and studied her for a moment. "I'm very sorry."

Jamie's throat closed up. He's apologizing? she thought in disbelief. She shook her head. "No..." To her horror, she felt tears sliding down her cheeks. It was the second time she had cried upon seeing him. She wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Some impression I'm making, huh? I just cry whenever I see you."

Remus dug into his robes and offered her a handkerchief. "It's quite all right. I can't say I completely understand your situation, but I certainly sympathize. I'm very sorry that you had to witness my death. I imagine it must be hard seeing me again, especially since I don't remember you."

"No!" Jamie burst out. "I mean, yes, but...you don't understand..." Words that she had been desperate to say for five months burst out of her. "It was my fault." The words physically hurt her, and she flinched, clutching her teacup so hard she was afraid it might break.

"What was your fault?" Remus asked quietly.

"Your death!" The words poured from Jamie as if a dam had broken. "It was all my fault. We were looking for the Time-Turner...back in July...and I had a lead on it, and you followed it... Will and Shay were off following a different lead, and I was going to go alone, but you wouldn't let me...and there were Death Eaters...and you saved me...you saved me, and you died for it." She covered her face with her hands. "You died for me, and if I hadn't been there, you would have stayed alive."

Remus was quiet for a long moment, and Jamie couldn't bear to look at him. She was afraid of what she might see on his face, but when she finally dared a look up, all she saw through her tear-blurred eyes was compassion.

"Jamie," he said carefully. "I realize that I don't really know you, nor do I know the circumstances that my future self was in when he died, but let me say this: if my future self chose to save you, then he would have done it without any hesitation. And if he was helping you track down the Time-Turner, I'm sure he would have been glad to know that you found it, and that you made it back to this time."

"But it was still my fault."

"No, it wasn't. It was the Death Eaters' fault. And most importantly, it hasn't happened yet." Remus laid his hand on hers. "You've been given a second chance, Jamie. I'm still quite alive, and you needn't feel guilty. You have nothing to be sorry for, and I can assure you that the future Remus Lupin would say the same thing."

"I never even had the chance to tell him how sorry I was, and ask him to forgive me," Jamie cried into the handkerchief.

Remus squeezed her hand gently, and then let it go. "Then accept my word on this. There's nothing to be forgiven for."

His words eased something in Jamie, and the horrible knot of guilt in her stomach loosened. Sniffling, she looked up at Remus, embarrassed. "You must think I'm quite ridiculous."

"On the contrary. I'm glad that you told me about this, and I hope it helped you."

"It did," Jamie said, wiping her eyes and nose on the damp handkerchief.

"Good." Remus stood up from the table. "Why don't you finish your tea? I'm going to see about making some breakfast."

Jamie obediently picked up the tea and sipped at it. It was lukewarm now, but it was still soothing. She watched Remus move around the kitchen, thinking about what he'd said about second chances.

Gabrielle chose that moment to come into the kitchen. "Zere is an 'orrible 'ouse-elf upstairs," she said, sitting down beside Jamie.

"Kreacher," Remus replied. He stood up and moved to the cupboards. He dug out a pan and set it on the stove. "He is horrible. He was bound to serve Sirius's family, and Sirius bound him to the service of the new owner of Grimmauld Place, should anything happen to him. He can't be set free. He knows too much about the Order."

"'e was talking about blood traitors and brats," Gabrielle said with some confusion.

"Just ignore him," Remus said firmly. "Don't pay any attention to what he says."

"Zere is also an 'ippogriff in ze attic," Gabrielle said.

Remus laughed. "You went exploring, eh?"

"Yes. What is an 'ippogriff doing in ze attic?"

"His name is Buckbeak. He lives here. Don't go near him unless an adult is with you, all right?"

"Don't worry, I won't," Gabrielle said. "'e was eyeing me as if 'e wanted to eat me. Zis 'ouse is very strange."

Remus chuckled. "That it is. It used to be full of all sorts of dark magic. You should have seen it when we first got here. Just be glad the house-elf heads got taken off the wall."

"'ouse-elf 'eads?" Gabrielle repeated in horror.

Remus nodded. "Mounted on planks on the wall. I don't think Kreacher has ever forgiven us for taking them down."

On Saturday morning, Harry sat in the Knight Bus with Tonks, Charlie, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Will, and Shay, on their way to Grimmauld Place. They were the only ones on the third floor, and the jolting didn't help his already queasy stomach. He was feeling a good deal of trepidation about facing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He hadn't seen them since the summer, and he had no idea what they would say to him, as they had been living with-technically-his and Ginny's daughter for the past three months. Hermione looked equally nervous, and at one point, she leaned over to whisper, "They're going to be meeting Will for the first time."

Ginny overheard the comment, and looked between Harry and Hermione. "It's all right," she said, offering a reassuring smile. "Mum and Dad will be fine. They've had Jamie and Molly staying with them for quite a while. They've had plenty of time to adjust."

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances, and Harry leaned back in his seat with a sigh. He had talked with Jamie again, just before she was released from the hospital wing the day before. It hadn't been nearly as awkward as the first time he had met her. It still gave him a shock to see her face, but he figured by the time the Christmas holidays were over, he would be completely used to it. Well, mostly used to it.

The Knight Bus popped out on a hill in the countryside, and Harry nearly fell out of his seat. Moments later, it was in motion again. It made several more stops, and somewhere in the middle of that, Hermione got into a discussion with Will and Shay about what they wanted to do with their lives when they were out of school.

Frowning, Will said, "I never really expected to have a future where I might be able to do something other than hide and fight Death Eaters."

"Well, now you have the chance," Hermione said firmly. "So what do you want to do with it?"

Will looked thoughtful. "I...I think I would become a Healer."

The Knight Bus jerked to a halt, and everyone clung to their seats. "What about-" Hermione was cut off by a scream from a level below them. Everyone had their wands out in an instant, Tonks and Charlie immediately jumped to their feet.

"Stay here," Charlie ordered. He hurried toward the stairway to the second floor, while Tonks stood in front of the students. Moments later, Charlie came back upstairs, tucking his wand into his robes. "False alarm," he told Tonks. "Some witch got mad at her husband and hit him over the head with her collapsible cauldron." He rolled his eyes.

It just went to show, Harry thought, how on edge everyone was.

When they did finally get to Grimmauld Place, Harry found Ginny was quite right about her parents. Mrs. Weasley was waiting at the front door, and she immediately tried to hug everyone at once. "Charlie! Ginny! Ron! Oh, Harry!" He found himself crushed in a tight hug, and then Mrs. Weasley squeezed Hermione so hard she squeaked. She paused only briefly when she saw Will and Shay, and then proceeded to wrap her arms around both of them. An extremely startled expression crossed Shay's face, but before he could react at all, Mrs. Weasley had moved onto hug Ron and Ginny again. She only stopped when Ron pulled away and said, "Mum! We should really get our trunks upstairs."

"Oh, of course, dear, of course." Mrs. Weasley stepped back, beaming at them. "Jamie and Molly are in the kitchen." She leaned forward and said, "They've been such a delight to have, you know. Jamie's just so vibrant-just like you, Ginny dear. And Molly's just the sweetest thing. You had beautiful daughters."

Harry choked, and Ron flushed. "Mum!"

"Mum," Ginny said patiently.

"I'm going to the kitchen," Hermione said hurriedly, and disappeared toward the back.

Grimmauld Place was very crowded, but it didn't take long before Harry became more relaxed than he had been in a long time. Sometimes it was difficult being in Grimmauld Place, because it held so many memories of Sirius, but it was full of so much laughter that it was hard to be melancholy all the time. Anytime he started feeling low, one of his friends quickly dragged him into the festivities.

Living in the same house as all four of the future children was a very interesting experience. He was accustomed to living with Will, of course, as they had been sharing a dormitory for months. Harry actually started to get to know Jamie, and he found that he really liked her. He hadn't been sure what to expect-someone just like Ginny? just like him?-but she was entirely her own person. Sometimes he saw things in her that reminded him of Ginny, or of himself, but he supposed that was to be expected.

And then there was little Molly Weasley. She clung to Will at first, but slowly got used to all the new people in the house. Hermione did her best to spend a lot of time with Molly, and could often be found sitting on the floor and drawing with her. It was moments like that when it didn't take much for Harry to imagine Hermione as a mother sometime in the future.

More than anyone else, though, Molly especially took to Ron, much to his bewilderment. She trailed him through the house (usually with a piece of paper and a crayon in hand), stopping whenever Ron stopped, and staring at him with big brown eyes.

Ron had no idea what to do. "I've never dealt with little kids!" he hissed at Harry once. "What am I supposed to do with her? Why does she like me so much?"

Overhearing, Ginny said in great amusement, "Because you're her daddy."

Ron sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Maybe in her time! But...I'm sixteen! I'm not old enough to be her dad! Besides, she can't know I'm her father, can she? She was just a baby when the...er...future me died."

"Just color with her, Ron," Harry suggested. "Talk to her. She just wants to spend time with you."

Ron ran a hand through his red hair. "I suppose," he said doubtfully. However, he did make an effort to do things with her (encouraged a great deal by Hermione) and became more at ease with her as the days passed.

Molly reacted very strangely to Kreacher. The house-elf made a nuisance of himself, walking through the house and muttering things like, "Nasty mutants and blood-traitors and Mudbloods messing up my poor Mistress's house, oh what would my poor Mistress say if she knew, she would be so shamed by poor Kreacher, who served her so faithfully. Defilers and filth, that's what they are, and they've no right to be here." At first, whenever he entered a room where Molly was, she ran into the arms of the person nearest to her.

Hermione tried to tell her that Kreacher wouldn't hurt her. "Molly, sweetheart, he's a house-elf; house-elves aren't bad," Hermione said one day when they were all stringing popcorn. Molly had knocked over a huge bowl of kernals in her effort to dive into Jamie's lap when Kreacher entered the room.

"This one is," Ron said sourly.

"House-elves are what wizards make them," Jamie put in. "They deserve to be treated much better than they are."

Harry and Ron stared at her for a moment, and then Ron groaned. "Hermione! You corrupted her!"

"I did what?" Hermione asked indignantly.

"Well, you probably spouted all that spew stuff to her while she was growing up!" Ron exclaimed.

"It's not spew, Ron, it's the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare."

"Whatever. You corrupted her."

After several days had passed, Molly stopped running away when Kreacher was around, and she began drawing pictures of him. At least, she drew pictures of what everyone supposed was him, and she always put a huge scowl on the picture-Kreacher's face. She progressed from coloring pictures of Kreacher to hunting him around the house, much to everyone's bafflement. It was Shay who finally said (as Molly was tracking Kreacher down the hallway and into the kitchen), "It's as if she wants to be sure of where he is all the time so that she can feel safe."

Even Harry had to admit that's what it looked like.

"Has she ever had bad experiences with house-elves?" Hermione asked over her shoulder as she followed Molly toward the kitchen.

"As far as I know, she's never seen a house-elf in her life," Shay said, shrugging.

"Maybe she's just nervous because he's a new being to her, then," Hermione suggested.

Harry dealt with Kreacher by simply telling him to shut up and leave the room (being careful not to tell him 'leave,' lest he take Harry seriously and leave Grimmauld Place, as he had done the year before). The house-elf always shot him nasty looks, muttering evermore, but he always obeyed. Harry absolutely hated Kreacher, especially after what he had done in participating in Sirius' death. He fervantly wished that Kreacher could be freed and just leave, but he knew the dangers in that. One day he muttered to Shay, "Please tell me Kreacher wasn't still around in your time."

Shay shook his head. "Nope. As far as anyone knows, he died when Grimmauld Place burned down."

Harry wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad one. Why had Grimmauld Place burned down, and could he prevent it from happening again?

And while adjustments were being made for everyone, Harry guessed that the whole thing was hardest on Shay; he wouldn't even go into the same room as Gabrielle if he could avoid it. Everyone knew that Gabrielle was his mother except Gabrielle herself. Harry sometimes noticed her frowning at Shay with a puzzled expression on her face, as if trying to figure something out. She knew that Jamie was related to Harry, but as since she was oblivious to the fact that Harry didn't have any family besides the Dursleys, she didn't find anything unusual in it.

One afternoon, Mr. Weasley, Charlie, Fred, and George went out and came back with a huge Christmas tree, which they set up in the huge sitting room downstairs. Everyone chipped in on decorating the tree, and the rest of the house. Jamie, who was very enthusiastic about Christmastime, worked with Tonks to make one of the rooms downstairs start pouring snow (which disappeared before it touched the ground) whenever someone walked into it. Christmas cookies were baked (Mrs. Weasley had a fit when she walked into the kitchen to find Tonks, Ginny, Hermione, and Gabrielle throwing dough at each other, and Gabrielle covered head-to-toe in flour). Someone-Harry wasn't sure who-had created a bunch of Father Christmas hats that had balls that flashed red, green, and gold on the end, and someone could always be seen wearing one.

Then, of course, there were Fred and George. Much to Mrs. Weasley's exasperation, they set up a spell to make the portrait of Mrs. Black appear to sing carols everytime the curtains in front of it flew open. Mrs. Black's mouth moved, but the carols in no way matched the words she was mouthing. They also had great fun teasing Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Ginny to no end. Harry had learned by now to ignore it. Of course, it didn't help that Fred and George set up mistletoe on the doorways (which whistled rudely only when Harry, Ginny, Ron, or Hermione walked under it). Harry made a point of ignoring the mistletoe, too.

There were numerous times when different members of the Order stopped by. Anyone who came through the house made a point to stop and introduce themselves to Jamie, Will, and Shay. When Snape came to Grimmauld Place and met Jamie, all he did was sneer at her. Harry wasn't surprised by his attitude; why should his animosity for the Potter line stop with Harry?

Over all, though, the holidays progressed smoothly.

When it was nearing midnight on the day before Christmas Eve, Harry trudged downstairs for a glass of water. He stopped when he heard giggling coming from the front room. Frowning, he tiptoed over and peered into the room. He blinked. The girls had taken over the room. Molly was asleep on Hermione's lap, and Hermione was combing her fingers through the little girl's hair. Tonks and Fleur were sitting on the floor in front of a big box of something that Harry couldn't see. Ginny was seated on the couch next to Hermione, and Jamie was on the floor in front of her, holding her wand. Gabrielle was stretched out in front of the fire, her white-blond hair fanned out on the floor and her eyes closed as she slept.

"What do you think of this one?" Tonks held something up, but Fleur's body blocked it from Harry's sight.

"It is very beautiful, but perhaps less...flowery?" Fleur suggested.

"Less flowery...right." Tonks dug back into the box.

Harry stepped inside, interrupting their conversation. "What's going on? Do you have any idea how late it is?" He blinked again when he saw Jamie's hair. "Your..." He waved at it.

Jamie giggled. "Ginny taught me a Hair-Lengthening Charm." She tugged on a strand of black hair-which now fell down just past her waist-and grinned. "What do you think?"

"It...er...looks nice," Harry said, shrugging helplessly.

"It looks beautiful," Ginny corrected with a grin. "She might have your hair color, but she definitely got my hair manageability. It doesn't stick out every which way like yours does."

"Jamie Potter," Tonks said, shaking her head. "Harry, I've decided I will no longer be amazed by anything that happens in your life. And Harry, Ginny, my compliments. You had a wonderful daughter. In the future, anyway," she said, winking.

Harry flushed, but Ginny just grinned. "You're not supposed to be here," she told Harry cheerfully.

"Yeah. We're plotting. Go back to bed," Hermione said.

"Plotting what?" Harry asked.

"Girl stuff." Tonks grinned.

Hermione nodded and made shooing motions with her hands.

"Oh. Um, all right." Giving the girls a very wary look, Harry slowly backed out of the room. He collected his glass of water and headed back upstairs, shaking his head as he heard another burst of laughter come from the front room. I wonder what they're up to...

Christmas Eve brought a flurry of members of the Order-apparently they were holding some kind of meeting. The doorbell rang all morning. Harry spent the time in the sitting room, teaching Ginny, Jamie, and Shay to play the Muggle card games. Will and Ron were engaged in a fierce chess game (at least, it sounded fierce from all of the shouting coming from the chess pieces). Harry wasn't sure where Hermione was, though she had said something about helping Gabrielle wrap presents.

The doorbell rang, and Mrs. Weasley hurried to answer it. Harry was shocked to see Luna Lovegood enter the house behind a strange man. Harry guessed the man to be Luna's father; he had thinning hair the same color as Luna's, and while he didn't have her popping eyes, he shared similar facial features. The man disappeared toward the kitchen with Mrs. Weasley, and Luna drifted into the sitting room. "Hello," she said, smiling dreamily.

"Luna?" Ginny said in disbelief. "What are you doing here?"

Luna settled herself on the couch. "Oh, Dad's part of the Order of the Phoenix, didn't you know?"

"No," Ron spoke up.

"Oh, well he is." Luna pulled out a copy of The Quibbler.

"So...what's new, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Well, there's some interesting things going on at the Ministry. Did you know there's a Muggle working directly with the Minister of Magic? It's all part of the Minister's undercover house-elf brainwashing."

Harry exchanged glances with Ginny, who shrugged. They were both used to Luna's odd comments, and didn't bother to ask Luna how a Muggle working with the Minister tied into house-elf brainwashing. Shay and Jamie, however, turned to look at Luna, who was gazing at her magazine. Shay raised his eyebrows, and Ginny shook her head slightly. "Luna, have you met Jamie? I know you've met Will and Shay at the Hogwarts Coalition meetings."

Luna looked up and smiled at Jamie. "Hello. You're one of the time-travelers, aren't you?"

"Um..."

"Professor Dumbledore told my father we might see you here," Luna put in. "And then, of course, it all made sense. I knew there was something different about you two." She motioned at Will and Shay. "And last month we had a whole article in The Quibbler about time-traveling. Isn't that funny? I'll have to show it to you sometime." She looked back down at her magazine.

The Order's meeting lasted into the early afternoon. At one point, Kreacher came walking into the room, muttering nonstop under his breath. Harry got him to leave about the same time that Luna's father came to collect her. "Good-bye," Luna said, standing to her feet and tucking The Quibbler into her robes. "I'm sure I'll see you soon."

"Happy Christmas, Luna." Ginny waved at her.

Luna smiled serenely. "Happy Christmas. And keep an eye on the house-elves. The brainwashing does strange things to their heads."

"Kreacher doesn't need brainwashing to make him strange in the head," Harry muttered to Ginny after Luna was gone.

Midnight on Christmas Eve found Will, Shay, and Jamie sitting in front of the Christmas tree. There were certain traditions that they had developed growing up, and there were some things that they would continue to do no matter where-or when-they were.

"It's been an interesting year," Will said quietly, leaning his head back against the couch.

"I don't think 'interesting' is quite the right word," Jamie said drily. She wrapped her arms around her knees and sighed. "I've learned a lot."

"Hair-Lengthening Charms, for one," Shay said, pulling Jamie's hair.

Jamie rolled her eyes. "Not that kind of learning, Seamus. You know what I meant. And let go. That hurts."

Will smiled at both of them. "Shall I start?"

"Go ahead, Will," Jamie said, with a quick glare at Shay.

Will closed his eyes for a moment, recalling everything that had happened this year. "I'm thankful that we found the Time-Turner."

Jamie laid her head on Will's shoulder and sighed. "I'm thankful that we've found so many people willing to help us in this time."

Shay sighed, folding his hands behind his head. "I'm thankful that we're still alive."

"I'm thankful for the Weasleys taking me in, and for all of the letters Ginny sent me. They've helped a lot," Jamie admitted.

"I'm thankful I got the chance to see my parents again," Will said.

"I'm thankful Jamie was there when Bill and Fleur were attacked," Shay stated.

"I'm thankful for Remus. Without him we wouldn't have the Time-Turner," Jamie said.

Will smiled. He was glad Jamie had talked to Remus; it was nice to hear her sound happy when she mentioned him, instead of guilty and agitated. He squeezed her shoulder. "I'm thankful that Molly seems to be opening up a little bit."

"I'm thankful for second chances," Jamie said quietly.

They continued sharing everything they were thankful for, and then fell silent for several minutes, resting in each other's company. Finally, Jamie lifted her head off of Will's shoulder. "I'm thankful for you two." She kissed them each on the cheek and stood up. "I love you. Happy Christmas." She turned and walked out of the room, missing the expression that crossed Shay's face. Will saw it, and he glanced over at his cousin's retreating back, then again at Shay, whose forehead was puckered into a slight frown.

A slight smile crossed Will's face, and he pushed himself to his feet. "I'm off to bed, too. You coming?"

"In a minute."

"Happy Christmas, Shay."

"Happy Christmas."

The Christmas celebration was the biggest one Harry had ever had. The house was full of laughter and joyful calls of, "Happy Christmas!" Kingsley and Mad-Eye Moody had come for the festivities, and even Dumbledore showed up. Mrs. Weasley recruited help to make breakfast, and after they had eaten, they all went into the front room where the Christmas tree stood. Piles of presents surrounded the tree, and Harry quickly found his pile.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given him the usual-fudge and a green sweater. Ron gave him a huge bag of chocolate frogs, and Hermione gave him a knitted scarf that had on it the design of a big black dog and a stag. He stared at it for a long minute, and glanced up to find her smiling slightly. "I thought it might help you think of the good memories."

"Thanks, Hermione," he said in a low voice.

Fred and George gave him one of their Skiving Snackboxes. Ginny's gift was a Dark Arts Defense Kit, which was full of little things to help in defense against the dark arts. Attached was a note that read: For a fellow future Auror, in hopes that someday it will be an occupation needed much less than it is now. Jamie also had a present for him, which surprised him. She had given him a book entitled, The Quidditch Captain's Guide to Success. Underneath the title, it said: read about the tips and tricks of today's most renowned Quidditch captains! When he opened her present, he looked over to find her watching him anxiously. "Ginny and Hermione thought you'd like it," she said nervously.

"I do, Jamie. Thank you. It will come in handy in planning upcoming Quidditch matches."

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny had pooled their money to buy Jamie, Shay, Will, and Molly presents, and had sent Charlie out to buy them. They had chosen their gifts based on the occupations the three future children had discussed wanting to eventually do, if they had the chance. For Jamie-who, Harry had discovered, wanted to learn more about photography-they had bought a camera and a large photo album. Will had received a book entitled A Guide to Healing: Learning the Basics and More. Shay had been harder to shop for, but in the end, they got him a huge assortment of sweets, because as Ginny said, "Everyone needs chocolate, and he looks like he could use it." Molly's gift had been easy; a thick pad of colored paper and a set of markers (bought from a Muggle shop).

Jamie was the first to open her gift, and she looked around at Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Will has a photo album with pictures from your childhood," Ginny said quietly. "Now you can fill one of your life now."

Jamie's smile was a bit watery.

Harry had several more presents from members of the Order, but he froze when he went to open his final wrapped package. There was a note attached in Dumbledore's handwriting. Sirius asked me to give this to you as a Christmas gift if anything ever happened to him.

Harry swallowed hard. What had Sirius left him? He wasn't sure he wanted to open the package, but he did. Inside a plain brown box, he found several pieces of paper and a key. The first paper was a copy of Sirius's will, and as Harry read it, his eyes grew wide. He flipped to the next paper, and found a deed for number twelve, Grimmauld Place. The last piece of paper was a bank statement for Gringotts. The key went to Sirius's vault at the wizard bank.

Harry looked around for Dumbledore, and saw him watching from the side of the room. Clutching the papers and key in his hand, he squeezed through the crowd of people until he was standing in front of the headmaster. "Professor..." He held up the papers helplessly. "Sirius left me Grimmauld Place." He looked back down at the will. "Which includes Kreacher." So that's why Kreacher hasn't run off to one of Sirius's cousins! "And he left me his bank account."

"Yes, he did," Dumbledore said quietly.

"But..." Harry was quiet for a moment, and then he said, "Professor, I'd still like the Order to use this house as headquarters. And Kreacher...well, he'll have to stay. I know he knows too much to leave."

A smile crossed Dumbledore's face, and he laid a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Thank you, Harry."

Harry pulled out the bank statement from Gringotts. "Sirius had quite a bit of money left in his account," he said in a low voice. He sighed. "I don't need this money, Professor. My parents left me more than enough."

"It is your money, Harry. You must do with it what you see fit." Still smiling at him, Dumbledore said, "If you'll excuse me, I must have a word with Remus."

Harry crossed back over to his pile of presents, still feeling a bit stunned.

"Harry? You all right?" Hermione asked, as he sat down on the floor in front of his stack of gifts. "You look a little...strange."

"I'm...fine." Harry tucked the key and papers back into the box and closed it.

After everyone opened their gifts, Bill stood to his feet and cleared his throat. "Fleur and I would like to make an announcement." He looked over at Fleur, who stood up beside him. "We're...well, we're engaged."

Everyone broke out in a clamor, but it was Mrs. Weasley's voice that carried the loudest. "What? Bill...how...when..."

"They got engaged the day after they were attacked in London," Ginny spoke up.

Mrs. Weasley fixed her gaze on Ginny. "You knew about this? Bill, you told your sister, but you didn't think to tell your mother?"

"I knew about it, too!" Gabrielle piped up. "Zey are going to marry in ze summer, when 'ogwarts term 'as ended."

"That's what we were helping Fleur plan the other night," Ginny whispered to Harry. To her mother, who seemed rather flustered, she said, "Aw, Mum, aren't you happy for Bill? You've been after him and Charlie for ages to settle down and start a family, haven't you?"

"Well...yes, of course...and I think you're a very sweet girl, Fleur," Mrs. Weasley assured. "I was just a bit...surprised."

Harry congratulated Bill and Fleur, and then began moving his gifts upstairs to his room. He spent a long time that day thinking, and at the end of the day, when everyone had retreated to their rooms for bed, he tiptoed into the hallway to one of the girls' rooms. He listened at the door and heard whispering inside, so he knocked.

The whispers fell silent, and a moment later, the door opened, revealing Hermione in a bathrobe. "Harry? Are you all right?"

"Yes. I...er...just wondered if I could have a word with Jamie."

Forehead creased in puzzlement, Hermione turned. "Jamie? Harry wants to talk to you."

There were footsteps, and then Jamie appeared behind Hermione, a confused look on her face. Harry shifted on his feet nervously. "Can I talk to you downstairs for a minute?"

Jamie nodded, and followed Harry down the stairs into the front room, lit only by the fairy lights on the Christmas tree. Jamie sat on the edge of the couch, and Harry handed her a piece of paper. Giving him another questioning look, Jamie unrolled the parchment, then frowned. "Harry...this is a bank statement?" It was more of a question than an assertion.

Harry nodded, and held out the key. Jamie stared at it for a moment, then met Harry's eyes. "It's yours," Harry said.

"What?"

"It's yours," Harry repeated. He handed Jamie the key.

"But...but...you can't give me your money!"

Harry smiled. "I already have plenty of money, Jamie. You don't have any at all, and how else are you going to pay for schoolbooks and robes and film for your camera?"

"But...it's so much money," Jamie whispered. She shook her head. "You have no reason to do this."

"Yes, I do. You're..." Harry hesitated, then pressed on. "You're family, Jamie. In a really weird way that gives me a headache thinking about it sometimes, but I want you to have it. No arguments, all right? Just take it. I don't need it, and I don't want it."

Jamie stared at him silently for a moment, and then stood up and threw her arms around his neck. Harry patted her back awkwardly, hoping she wouldn't sob all over him, because then he really wouldn't know what to do. To his relief, she pulled away after a moment, wiping tears off her face.

She offered him a shaky smile. "Thank you."

Harry smiled in return. "You're welcome."

Harry was glad that Christmas had been a peaceful day, because the day after Christmas, his life was thrown for a twist-several of them, in fact. He was awakened from a pleasant sleep by Mrs. Weasley. "Harry, dear, Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in the kitchen." She looked very distressed, and fear crept over him.

"What happened?"

"Professor Dumbledore would like to explain, dear."

Ron was still asleep, but Shay and Will weren't in their beds. That surprised Harry, because when he looked at the clock, he saw that it was half past four in the morning. He hurried down to the kitchen, and was startled to find Ginny sitting at the kitchen table across from Professor Dumbledore. She looked tired, but alert. "What's going on?" Harry asked.

"Please sit down, Harry." Professor Dumbledore's expression was very serious. Harry quickly sat beside Ginny, and Dumbledore said, "First, I have some grave news for you, Harry."

Harry drew in a deep breath and waited for Dumbledore to explain.

"Your aunt, uncle, and cousin were holidaying out-of-town for Christmas," Dumbledore said. "While they are at home on Privet Drive, they have been afforded some protection. Away from home..." He folded his hands on the table. "Harry, the Dursleys are dead."

Harry heard Ginny's sharp intake of breath, but he stared at Dumbledore for several heartbeats. "Dead?" he asked numbly.

"Their bodies were taken to St. Mungo's, and it has been determined that they were murdered with the Killing Curse."

Harry wasn't sure what to think. He had never felt any love for the Dursleys, and so the thought of them being dead didn't hurt, but... "When?"

"They were killed last night," Dumbledore said.

Harry rubbed the scar on his forehead, feeling exhausted. "They..." He stopped and shook his head. "They spent their whole lives being terrified of magic, and in the end...magic's what killed them." Then another thought occurred to him, and he said, "Professor, you said that as long...as long as I stayed with the Dursleys at least once a year...as long as I could call their house 'home,' I was protected...because of my mother's sacrifice...does that mean...?"

"What it means, Harry, is that Voldemort is doing everything he can to remove anything that could be safe for you," Dumbledore told him.

"He saw the Dursleys as an obstacle...so he removed them," Harry said quietly.

"Yes." Dumbledore sighed. "And there's something else; Jamie, William, and Seamus have already been told, but you two need to know."

"Know what?" Ginny asked apprehensively.

"Voldemort has learned that Jamie Potter exists in this time. He has learned that, consequently, she is your daughter."

Harry and Ginny stared at Dumbledore for a long moment, and then Ginny said, "How? How did he find out?"

"We have yet to ascertain that."

"It has to do with the...the spy or whatever, doesn't it?" Ginny asked.

Dumbledore didn't look surprised she knew about it. "I believe it may."

Harry rested his head on his hands, staring at the table. "Are you sure Voldemort knows?"

"Yes. I'm afraid that Voldemort has issued orders to his Death Eaters to find her and bring her in alive. He knows right now that she is under my protection, but-"

"She's not safe," Harry said flatly.

"What about Will and Shay?" Ginny asked.

"As far as we know, he doesn't know who they are," Dumbledore said. "This also means, Ginny, that you must be very, very careful."

"Me? Why?"

Harry realized, and his heart sank. "Because Voldemort is intent on ruining my life," he said angrily. He looked at Ginny. "Don't you see? Voldemort just killed the Dursleys because they were my family. He's after Jamie, because she's my daughter, and probably because he wants to find out what she knows from the future. And now, he'll be after you, because he'll see you as my future wife."

Dumbledore nodded in agreement. "Despite whether you actually become Harry's wife, Ginny, Voldemort will see that as a threat. He now knows that in Jamie's future, at least, Harry lived long enough to marry and have a daughter, and that is all he knows."

"You mean that Voldemort might try to use me to get to Harry." Ginny stated.

Dumbledore looked at her a bit sadly. "It is a possibility." He stood to his feet. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some things I must attend to. I'll speak with you about this more a bit later."

He left them alone in the kitchen. Ginny stared at the wall, her arms wrapped around herself. Harry sat stone-still, so many things running through his mind that he wasn't sure what to say. Finally, he burst out, "See?"

Ginny turned her eyes on him. "What?"

"Everyone in my life suffers because Voldemort is out to get me," Harry said angrily. "You and Jamie are both in danger; the Dursleys were killed! I...I didn't love them...and I won't miss them...but even they didn't deserve to die because of me." He stood to his feet and strode toward the door.

"Harry, where are you going?"

"I don't know! I'd leave if I thought it would help, but it doesn't matter where I go! Voldemort still knows." Harry turned his course to pace around the edge of the kitchen. "He's giong to be after you and Jamie now, too! I don't want that." It was bad enough that Voldemort was after him; he didn't want to bring that on anyone else.

Ginny's eyes followed him around the room, and she said, "I don't like it anymore than you do, Harry! Do you think I like the idea of You-Know...V...Voldemort-" she said through gritted teeth "-using me? He did it once already, Harry! He used me to get to you, and I don't want that to happen again!"

"Well, neither do I! I don't want Voldemort after you because of me! But it's a little late for that, isn't it?" Harry snapped.

"I'm more worried about him being after you because of me."

"Sometimes I can't believe how stupid my future self was. Didn't he know that getting married would only make you a target-that it did make you a target? He should have stayed as far away from the future you as possible! And now look what's happened!"

"Do you really think he was stupid?" Ginny asked, a strange look on her face.

"Yes! He put the future you in danger, and now the present you is in danger because of his choice!"

"Harry, in the future, you loved me," Ginny said quietly. The word loved sounded strange in Harry's ears. "There's nothing wrong with that. Remember the conversation we had about choices? I chose to love you and be with you. I'm sure that the Ginny Weasley of that time knew the risks of that."

"Then your future self should have known better, too!" Harry burst out, glaring at her.

Ginny pressed her lips together and stood to her feet. "Stop it, Harry. Love doesn't always make sense. You can't judge the relationship that we had in the future! You can't know all of the circumstances, or why we chose the way we did. You're talking like it was all horrible! Well, I don't believe that it could have been all bad! And look what came of it-Jamie. Is she a mistake? I don't think so! She's sweet and beautiful and smart, and she deserves every bit if life she can have. And yes, I might have died because I married you, but haven't you listened to what the future was like? I probably would have died anyway, and I would sooner die with you than anyone else!"

Something squeezed Harry's heart, making it difficult for him to get a decent breath. "Don't say that."

"My choice, Harry. Mine."

"I don't want you to choose me!" Harry yelled. How could she be so...so...

Ginny strode over to where he was standing and glared up at him. "Why not?"

The words burst out of Harry's mouth before he realized what he was saying. "Because I love you and I don't want you to get hurt!" Harry froze, and so did Ginny. They stared at each other for a long minute. I love you? Where did that come from? I don't...I... But as he continued to stare at the dumbstruck Ginny, he realized that what he had said was true. Somewhere in the becoming Ginny's friend, he had fallen in love with her.

Ginny finally found her voice. "Harry...you..." She drew a deep breath. "If I get hurt, it won't be because of you. Besides, I'm already in danger, so that's no excuse. I-" She stopped and looked up at him rather plaintively. "You love me?"

Harry swallowed. Part of his mind was screaming to walk away now. He didn't want to lose Ginny, and so many people had already died because of him...but Ginny was right; Voldemort would already be after her because of her relationship to Harry in the future; even if he stayed as far away from Ginny as possible, Voldemort would still see the possibility of a relationship.

Harry gazed into Ginny's searching eyes for a long moment, and before he realized it was happening, his lips were on hers. At first she seemed stunned, but then her arms were around him and she was kissing him back. The only other person he had ever kissed was Cho, and this was completely different. For one thing, Ginny wasn't crying all over him. For another, there was a connection with Ginny that had never been there with Cho. He could almost feel her emotions pulling at him, strengthening as their kiss deepened. It was as if she was trying to pour all of her love, acceptance, reassurance, into this one physical gesture.

When they finally broke apart, breathing hard, Harry leaned his forehead against Ginny's, staring into her clear, bright eyes. All he saw was love, and he couldn't believe he had never seen it there before. It was so obvious. "Ginny." His voice was a whisper. "I...you deserve better."

"Oh, Harry. There is no one better for me than you. I love you. I love you now, and I will always love you no matter what future comes our way." She wrapped her arms around him, and they simply held each other.

"But Voldemort-"

"This is my fight, too."

Harry gazed at her for a long moment, and finally nodded. A smile blossomed on Ginny's face, and she said, "So what next?"

"Good question." Harry sighed. "I have no idea. Except that if we don't find out how Voldemort is getting information about the Order, things are going to get a lot worse."

"We should go see how Jamie's doing," Ginny said. "And Will and Shay." She reluctantly pulled away from Harry. He took her hand, and she smiled a bit sadly. "I'm sorry about what happened to the Dursleys, Harry."

"Me, too," Harry sighed. "But I'm even more sorry that about you and Jamie."

Ginny squeezed his hand as they headed for the kitchen door. "We'll deal with it-together."

Chapter Twenty-Two ~ A Change of Plans

"The spy has to be someone in the Order. Only the people here know who you are, Jamie." Shay stood in front of the Christmas tree with his arms crossed. Will could tell that while Shay sounded angry, he was mostly just worried. Very worried-though he doubted anyone who didn't know Shay as well as he did would notice.

Jamie looked over at him from her position on the floor, where she was leaning against the wall. "That doesn't explain why Voldemort doesn't know about you and Will, then! If someone in the Order is giving him information, wouldn't Voldemort have been told about all of us?"

"I don't know!"

"Listen, however Voldemort learned Jamie's identity, there's nothing we can do about it now," Will said reasonably. "We have to move forward and figure out where to go from here."

"Well, she certainly can't stay here!" Shay snapped. "If Voldemort has his Death Eaters out looking for Jamie, we can't take that chance. What if one of the Order is working for Voldemort and decides to nab her?"

"Wouldn't they have done that already?" Jamie asked.

"I doubt it. You haven't been alone at all during the holidays. But once we all go back to Hogwarts, there's no telling what might happen. You can't trust anybody," Shay said.

"Isn't that a little extreme?" Jamie asked.

Will thought that both of them had a point. Shay was right; Jamie couldn't be left alone, but... "Shay, there are some people we can trust. The Weasleys...Remus..."

"Look, this isn't just about me. My mother's in danger now, too, all because of me," Jamie put in.

The sound of someone clearing their throat came from the doorway, and all three whirled to see Harry and Ginny standing at the entrance to the room. "It's not your fault, Jamie." Ginny said, stepping into the room.

Will's jaw almost dropped when he saw that Harry and Ginny's hands were entwined, and he heard Jamie draw a sharp breath.

"Jamie," Ginny said, ignoring their looks, "none of this is your fault. You're not making You-Voldemort-come after me, or after you. We both just have to be careful."

Shay snorted. "Easy enough to say." He pressed his lips into a thin line. "Until we find out how Voldemort learned about this whole situation with you three-" he nodded at Harry, Ginny, and Jamie "-you can't be sure you're being careful."

Jamie took a deep breath and said, "I should...I should leave. I could probably find somewhere to hide...you know, not tell anyone where I am. I could..." Jamie trailed off miserably.

Will understood what she was feeling. She was tired of hiding in the shadows, tired of running... She had just found a place to belong, and she didn't want that ripped away from her.

Shay frowned. "That won't solve anything."

"It would temporarily!" Jamie said. "It would get me away from...from where I could hurt anyone."

Shay snorted. "That's stupid, Jamie. You'd be in more danger if you just ran off by yourself."

"What did Dumbledore suggest?" Harry spoke up.

Shay shook his head before Jamie could answer. "Dumbledore can't keep her safe," he snapped. "He was dead in the future, if you'll remember. He couldn't even keep himself safe!"

"He's alive now, though," Harry spoke up. "I mean-"

"You, of all people, can't tell me that Dumbledore can protect Jamie," Shay cut him off. "How many times did Ron and Hermione tell us the stories about what happened to you during your school years? Did Dumbledore protect you from Quirrell? No. Did he protect you-either of you-" Shay motioned to Harry and Ginny "-from Tom Riddle? How about from-"

"Dumbledore's not omnipotent," Ginny interrupted. "But he is a very powerful, very wise wizard, and he deserves to be treated as such. You can't blame him for the things that have happened to Harry-or me, for that matter."

"You're telling me to trust someone who didn't notice that you were being possessed for nearly a year?" Shay asked Ginny.

Ginny drew back sharply, and Jamie snapped, "Seamus!"

"Leave Ginny alone," Harry grated out. "Dumbledore has always come through for us-he's made mistakes, yes, but show me someone who hasn't!"

"Look, we'll deal with this," Shay said angrily. "You just worry about yourselves. This is none of your business. You-"

"It is my business! She's my family!" Harry said, jabbing his finger in Jamie's direction.

"She might be your blood, but you were never there for her!" Shay shouted. "You can't-"

"STOP IT!" Jamie jumped to her feet. "Stop it, stop it! This is my problem, and I'll deal with it!" She turned and ran out of the room and up the stairs.

Shay looked ready to storm after her, and Will quickly stood to his feet. "I'll go talk to her." He left the room before anyone could argue, following Jamie up the stairs. He heard footsteps behind him, and glanced over his shoulder to see Ginny climbing the stairs. "Is it all right if I come with you?" she asked quietly. "I'd like to talk to her for a moment."

Will studied her for a moment, then nodded. They found Jamie in her room. Ginny pushed the door open, and she and Will walked in. Hermione was still asleep, her covers pulled up over her shoulders. Molly's bed was empty. Jamie was at the bottom of her bed, throwing clothes into her open trunk.

"James?" Will asked cautiously, trying to keep quiet so he wouldn't wake Hermione. "What are you doing?"

"Leaving!" Jamie hissed furiously. "I'm leaving! I'm not going to put anyone else in danger! I'll go somewhere Voldemort can't find me, I'll-"

To Will's great surprise, Ginny burst out laughing. Hermione didn't even stir. Ginny walked forward, and Jamie stopped what she was doing, looking startled. Ginny reached into Jamie's trunk and pulled out a handful of clothes, a smile on her face. "Sometimes I think you and Harry have far too much in common."

"What...what do you mean?" Jamie asked falteringly.

"I mean that you both have this guilty conscience, where you think everything is always your fault. 'I did this, I caused that, if I hadn't been there, if I had made this choice instead of that one...' Did you know that last Christmas Harry almost ran off because he wanted to 'protect' us? He might not even realize I know about it, but I do. He was afraid he was being possessed by You-K...by Voldemort, and he wanted to run away to save us."

Will certainly hadn't known this. "He did?" he and Jamie asked together.

Ginny sat on Jamie's bed. "Yes, he did. He wasn't being possessed, of course, but the fear was enough to make him think he had to leave." She motioned Jamie to sit down beside her, and Jamie slowly sat. "This isn't your fault, Jamie. You being here doesn't make this your fault. And it's not just your problem to deal with alone. You have friends and family to stand with you and help you face this."

Jamie's shoulders sagged. "I don't want to leave," she said miserably. "I mean, I don't mind leaving Grimmauld Place, but I don't want to leave your parents, or Molly, or..."

"I know. And we'll try to help you work something out."

"I'm sorry about what Shay said. He's just worried, and he lashes out when he's upset."

"I've noticed," Ginny said drily. "It's all right, Jamie. I was just surprised by what he said-I'm not used to having my possession by Voldemort thrown in my face. But I can see his point of view." She stood up and placed a hand on Jamie's shoulder. "Don't run off, all right? We'll work something out-both of us, because I have some things I'm going to have to deal with, too."

"G-Ginny," Jamie's shaky voice stopped Ginny on her way to the door.

"Yes?"

"Are you and...you and Harry...you know? A couple?"

Ginny gave a rather amazed smile, and when she spoke, her voice was happier than Will had ever heard it. "Yes." Still smiling, she walked out the door.

Jamie sighed and turned to Will. "What am I supposed to do, Will?"

"Wait to talk to Dumbledore-he said he might have some suggestions for you later."

Jamie nodded and wrapped her arms around her knees. "I hope they're good suggestions."

Will squeezed her shoulder. "We'll come up with something, James." He paused. "Will you be all right? I'm going to go find Molly."

Jamie nodded, and Will left her in the room and went back downstairs. Shay and Harry weren't yelling at each other anymore, which was a plus. In fact, Shay was nowhere to be found. Harry was sitting on the couch with Ginny, and they were talking quietly. Will left them alone and went to see if he could find Molly.

He located her at the kitchen table, eating porridge that someone-presumably Remus, since he was the only other person in the kitchen-had made for her. "Morning," Will said.

"Good morning, Will. Would you like some porridge?"

"Sure." Will retrieved a bowl of food and sat down across from Molly. She was coloring with her new markers, and as soon as Will sat down, she pushed two finished drawings across the table to him.

Will picked them up and looked at them. They were both pictures of Kreacher-which didn't surprise him. "Moll, have you been following Kreacher around again?" Will asked, half to himself.

"She was," Remus said. "I had to coax her out of the boiler cupboard. Kreacher was having fits that she was in his 'bedroom.'"

Molly pushed the drawing she had just finished coloring over to him. He looked at it. Sure enough, it was her rendition of Kreacher. He looked at them again. In all three pictures, she had made his hand a gray circle. Raising his eyebrows, he passed them back to Molly. "These are very interesting, Molly," he told her honestly. "Why don't you finish your porridge?"

"P-p-porridge?" someone yawned. Will glanced over to see Tonks stumbling into the kitchen.

"You're up awfully early," Remus said from over near the stove, where he was preparing a pan of eggs.

"Didn't go to...s-sleep," Tonks yawned again. She grabbed a bowl out of the pantry and headed for the stove. "Duty. Order. All night," she mumbled. As she was walking to the stove, she tripped. She caught herself on the edge of the counter, but the bowl went flying and shattered on the ground. "Oops. Reparo."

Remus chuckled. "Go sit down, Nymphadora," he said.

"I told you not to call me that," Tonks said, in a tone of voice that led Will to believe this was a common debate. She turned and headed for the table, plunking down beside Will.

Shortly after arriving in Grimmauld Place, Will had sought out Tonks to apologize for breaking her undercover operation with Voldemort. He hadn't been sure if she would be angry now that she knew the truth, but to his surprise, she had only grinned at him. "From everything Dumbledore told me, blowing my cover might have saved my life. Hearing that in the future, I had disappeared-killed by Voldemort, no doubt-and been accused of murdering Albus Dumbledore...well, it wasn't quite what I'd envisioned my future being like." Her face had taken on a more serious look and she said, "Now, I realize you could have gone about things differently, so that my cover wouldn't have been blown...but I understand why you did it the way you did. I can't say I wouldn't have done the same in your place. Don't think on it a bit more, all right?" She had always been very friendly to him, which he was grateful for.

"Don't get any ideas," she told him now, a grin on her face. "He's the only one who gets away with calling me that. And that's only because he met me when I was five, and I couldn't argue with being called Nymphadora then."

"Don't believe her," Remus said. "She could argue just fine."

Will blinked as the image a five-year-old with spiky pink hair came to mind. "I didn't know you two had known each other that long."

"Well, I only met her a couple of times, when Sirius took us along to visit his Aunt Andromeda," Remus said, dumping some of the eggs onto a plate. "And I saw her again at James' and Lily's wedding, when she was...what? Seven? Eight?"

"Seven and a half," Tonks confirmed. "I was the flower girl."

Will blinked again. "I didn't realize you had ever met Harry's parents."

"Oh, yes. James and Sirius liked to throw me back and forth to each other through the air. My mother just loved that," Tonks said with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey, they only dropped you once," Remus pointed out, ladling out a bowl of porridge.

"Twice. You were only there once. I think that's why I ended up being so clumsy," Tonks said consideringly. "I hit my head a wee bit too hard on the falls."

Remus laughed, plopping the bowl of porridge and plate of eggs on the table in front of Tonks. She yawned her thanks, and dug into the food. The doorbell rang, and Remus frowned, moving toward the hallway, but Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out from down the hall. "I've got it!"

Remus brought a plate of eggs and a bowl of porridge over to the table and sat down. He and Tonks engaged in a lively conversation, but Will only paid it half a mind, the other half fixed on the predicament unfolding in the Order. His thoughts-and Tonks' and Remus' conversation-was cut off when Mrs. Weasley's loud voice echoed through the house. "TWO MONTHS? TWO MONTHS?"

Tonks winced. "Somebody's in trouble. Glad it's not me."

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO REACT WHEN MY SON TELLS ME HE'S BEEN MARRIED FOR TWO MONTHS-OH, FINE THEN, A MONTH AND A HALF!?"

Will froze with a bite of porridge halfway to his mouth. One of the Weasleys had gotten married? But...in the original timeline, Bill had been the first to get married...and Ron was the only other boy to marry; everyone else had died or disappeared before they had the chance...

"MUM!" the voice that shouted in response belonged to either Fred or George. "I SAID CALM DOWN!"

"AND I SAID DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, FRED WEASLEY! YOU TWO! KITCHEN! NOW!" Mrs. Weasley's voice got louder, and a moment later, her red face appeared in the doorway. Trailing behind her was a nonchalant-looking Fred, and a very nervous-looking Angelina. Mrs. Weasley didn't even acknowledge those sitting at the table; she simply pointed an angry finger at two stools and snapped, "Sit." Fred remained standing, but Angelina immediately sat, holding tightly to Fred's hand.

Molly quickly slid off of her seat, ran over to Will, and climbed into his lap. He held her, wondering if he should get up and leave the room, but very curious as to what was going on. He finally decided to stay where he was.

"Explain," Mrs. Weasley said in a tightly-controlled voice. "Now."

"Well, Mum, it's like this," Fred said evenly. "Remember when the Quidditch stadium in France was blown up?"

"Of course," Mrs. Weasley snapped.

"Well, Angelina was supposed to be at that match, but she went to Hogwarts to watch their first game instead. She had written to tell me she was going to the match, but never wrote to tell me she'd changed her mind."

Angelina nodded and chimed in, "So when it was attacked, Fred thought I had been there." She drew a deep breath. "When he found out I was alive, he...he told me that it had taken that to make him realize how much he didn't want to lose me."

Despite herself, Mrs. Weasley's face softened a bit, and Will was a bit surprised. It was strange to hear about Fred being so serious...

"So he asked me to marry him..."

"Let me guess. He convinced you to elope with him, because he didn't want to wait," Mrs. Weasley said waspishly

"Pretty much," Angelina admitted. "I didn't care about having a big wedding and inviting a lot of people, honestly. I was worried about you, and the rest of the family, but Fred convinced me...so we married mid-November, and I wanted to tell you right away..."

"But the Appleby Arrows-Angelina's team-had to go on tour right after we married. I went with her, and we wanted to tell you in person, so we decided to tell you as soon as she was back in Britain...I spent a lot of time on tour with her, while George and Lee manned the joke shop. I came back here for the first part of Christmas, then Apparated to Germany to spend the other half with Angelina," Fred said. "This is the first chance we've both been here, together."

Mrs. Weasley planted her hands on her hips, glared at Fred and Angelina, and finally sighed. "You should have told me earlier," she said, sounding very disapproving. "I don't know what you were thinking! Eloping! I mean-"

"It was my fault," Fred said cheerfully.

Angelina hit him on the arm. "It's not all your fault. I agreed, didn't I?"

"Yes, but I can't help it that you lose your mind when I'm around," Fred replied. "Natural Weasley charm, you know."

Angelina rolled her eyes, then looked at Mrs. Weasley. "I'm really sorry for not telling you sooner, Molly."

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "I should have expected that Fred wouldn't do anything normal in his life." She frowned. "But you're at Grimmauld Place," she said to Angelina, as if just realizing it. "That means..."

Angelina nodded. "I was actually told about the Order-and joined it-before Fred and I married. Fred approached Dumbledore about telling me because if we were going to marry, then-"

"Dumbledore knew you were going to marry?" Mrs. Weasley gasped.

Fred coughed slightly. "Actually, Mum...he officiated the wedding."

"WHAT? And he didn't-" Mrs. Weasley cut herself off and closed her eyes tightly. She opened them and managed a smile. "Angelina, dear, I truly am happy to have you as a daughter, please don't think otherwise. It will just take me a bit to get used to...this."

"I understand. And thank you, Molly." Angelina shifted nervously. "Um, there's more."

Mrs. Weasley's expression turned dangerous again. "More?"

Fred and Angelina exchanged glances, and then Fred said, "Angelina's pregnant."

Will's mouth dropped open, and he stared from Fred to Angelina and back.

"PREGNANT?" Mrs. Weasley's yelled, sounding more shocked than anything. Angelina winced, and Fred nodded. "FRED WEASLEY! How could you-I mean, that is-how do you expect to-how can you be a father?"

"Well, Mum, when two people fall in love-"

"Fred!" Angelina interrupted, an appalled look on her dark face.

"You-I-" Mrs. Weasley closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, then pinned Angelina with her stare. "And you're playing Quidditch in your condition?"

"No, Mum. She just found out, and she's taken a leave from the Arrows until after the baby's born," Fred said.

Mrs. Weasley stared at Fred and Angelina for a moment. "Just wait until your father hears about this!" she snapped. "Married! Pregnant!" She whirled and bustled over to the stove, banging pots and pans around. She finally turned again, pinned Angelina with a stare, and said, "How are you feeling?"

Angelina looked surprised at the question. "Um...fine. A little tired, I mean, and rather queasy, but nothing I can't handle. Though I admit that the eggs in the kitchen smell horrid."

An almost sympathetic look crossed Mrs. Weasley's face. "Come along, then, and we'll move to the sitting room to talk. I'll make you a cup of tea, all right?"

Angelina nodded, and she and Fred headed out of the kitchen. Will heard Fred whisper, "I told you, Ange. She'll get over it, and besides, she'll be thrilled to have a baby around again."

Will watched them go, his mind full of thoughts. Jamie was the only living cousin he had ever known; there had been one other Weasley child born, to Bill and Fleur. The baby-a little girl-had been murdered when she was only a year old, and Will hadn't been born until years later. Ironically, the little girl had been Shay's cousin as well, through Fleur.

Feeling a headache coming on, Will pushed thoughts of Fred and Angelina out of his mind and picked at his porridge.

Jamie remained alone in her bedroom for the remainder of the morning. Hermione came upstairs to check on her when she learned what was going on. Jamie appreciated it, but she felt the need to be alone at the moment. She wasn't quite sure how to deal with the situation she had been placed in, and it was frustrating.

Her solitude was interrupted when the door burst open and Shay stormed in, slamming the door shut behind himself. She started to open her mouth to protest his entrance when he slapped a newspaper into her hand. He held a second newspaper, but didn't give that one to her.

Feeling suddenly very nervous, Jamie looked down at the paper-the Evening Prophet, which had come out last night. Her jaw dropped when she saw the headline on the front page.

THE SECRET WORLD OF HARRY POTTER: FUTURE FATHER?

When we think of Harry Potter, we think many things, writes Rita Skeeter,

special correspondent. The Boy-Who-Lived has been through much in his short life-

the death of his parents, being slandered because no one believed his tale of You-

Know-Who's return, and now, the biggest twist of all.

Last night, new information came in that there is a girl who has traveled back

to this time from an unknown year. Her name is Jamie Potter, future daughter to

our much-loved and celebrated Harry Potter. According to this information,

Miss Jamie Potter's mother is none other than Ginny Weasley, daughter of

Arthur Weasley, head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.

On top of that, reliable sources have confirmed that on August second of

this year, an unauthorized Time-Turner was used. The Ministry of Magic

did its best to cover this up, as the perpetrator of this crime was never

found...perhaps until now.

Jamie Potter has apparently been staying with her parents over Christmas

holidays, but it is unknown where she has been residing these past five months.

The article continued, talking more about Harry and Ginny and their relationship-which was embellished a great deal, and was way out of proportion. It made Jamie flush to read it, and she wondered with mortification if Harry and Ginny had read this article yet. She looked up at Shay, horrified. "How could..."

"Here," Shay said through gritted teeth, giving her the second newspaper.

Jamie wasn't sure she wanted to open it. She gingerly flipped open the paper and stared in disbelief at the front page of this morning's Daily Prophet. A full-colored drawing of her face took up half the page, and the other half was taken up with an article labled: JAMIE POTTER: ALL THE FACTS. Jamie quickly read the article; apparently, theProphet had drawn her picture after talking to Stan Shunpike. "I saw 'er on the Knight Bus last August, and told 'er she looked just like 'arry Potter, didn't I, Ern? When I saw the Evening Prophet las' night-well, I knew she 'ad to be 'arry's daughter!" The article also said that Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge had confirmed her existence. "I'm sorry, but this is a very delicate matter. I'm not at liberty to divulge too much information. Rest assured that Ms. Potter is in very capable hands."

Jamie shook her head, clutching the newspapers tightly in her hand. "How...how does Minister Fudge know that I'm here?"

"Ask Dumbledore," Shay said through gritted teeth. "He's downstairs, and would like to talk to you. He told us that after seeing last night's article, Fudge contacted Dumbledore asking for confirmation of this rumor. Apparently your uncle Percy told Fudge that it was true. Dumbledore said he had no choice but to tell the Minister the truth."

Jamie winced. "However the Prophet got this information...it has to be the same person who's spying on the Order...this newspaper doesn't make any mention of you or Will or Molly..." She still didn't understand how Voldemort could know about her, but not any of the others. "Dumbledore didn't tell Fudge about the rest of you, did he?"

"No." Shay's tone of voice suggested that was the only smart thing Dumbledore had done.

Jamie bit her lip, trying to sort all of this information out. "Rita Skeeter...that name sounds familiar."

"She was the reporter that can turn into a bug," Shay said, his eyes still sparking. "Remember? Hermione blackmailed her for a year..."

"Oh, yeah. I think I remember something about that," Jamie said, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "Well, she couldn't have turned into a bug and sneaked into the house. She doesn't have access...does she?"

"No. I asked."

Jamie studied Shay for a moment. He was positively ready to explode. "Well..." She couldn't think of anything to say. I'm sorry? She folded the newspaper up and clutched it tightly. "Well...I suppose it doesn't matter where I go now, does it? Everyone knows about me anyway." She cleared her throat. "I...I guess I should go talk to Dumbledore..."

"Dumbledore. Yeah. Some help he's been!"

"Shay, he's doing his best!" Jamie said.

"Well, it looks like his best isn't good enough!" Shay snapped. "Otherwise the Order wouldn't be in danger, would it?"

Jamie pressed a hand against her forehead. "Shay, I'm not going to get in an argument with you right now. We can talk about this later. Right now, I'm going to go downstairs and see if I can get some of this sorted out." Still holding the newspapers, she quickly headed for the door.

Shay, tight-lipped, followed her. "This discussion isn't over, Jamie."

"No, it's not," Jamie replied, beginning to feel rather irritated. All right, so this was partly her fault-Stan Shunpike had seen her, after all-but she wasn't the one betraying information to the Order! "It's never over with you, is it?"

Shay grabbed her arm, stopping her dead in her tracks before she could open the bedroom door. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

Jamie sighed and met his eyes. "It means that you are going to go over and over this and beat it to death, and there's absolutely no point in that, because we can't change what's happened!"

"If Dumbledore-"

"This isn't Dumbledore's fault, either," Jamie interrupted. "Stop passing blame around, Shay. There's a leak in the Order, and that's how this happened. So Dumbledore hasn't been able to track the leak yet. Neither has anyone else! Ginny said it-he's not omnipotent! You're doing the same thing that you do with-" Realizing she was getting herself into the argument she had wanted to stay away from, she fell silent.

"I'm doing the same thing that I do with what?" Shay demanded.

"Nevermind. I'm going to talk to Dumbledore." She tugged on her arm, but Shay didn't let go.

"No; you tell me what it is you think I'm doing this time. Because it's always something, isn't it, Jamie? I'm always doing something that's not good enough for Jamie Potter."

That comment stung, and Jamie stared at Shay in disbelief. "Shay, you know that's not true."

"Oh, really? You certainly think I'm-"

"I think you're being angry with everyone and everything!" Jamie cut him off in a loud voice. "That's what it always is with you, Shay! Something goes wrong, you're angry. Someone messes up, and it's their fault, you can't ever forgive them."

"That's a bunch of-"

"It is not. You're doing it right now, with Dumbledore, and he didn't even do anything wrong! You can't ever let anything go, can you, Shay? You don't do it with Will and me as much, but you do it with everyone else! Like this morning, when you were fighting with Harry about Dumbledore-you told Harry that he might be my blood, but that he was never there for me. What does that tell you?"

"That it was the truth," Shay gritted out. "Your dad got himself killed on a suicide mission, and your mum went right along with him! It was all well and good for them, but they never watched anything you went through because of it! They never saw you hurt because you didn't have parents! They-"

"They were trying to save the world, Shay," Jamie said, her eyes stinging with tears. She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt like crying, except that she suddenly felt she saw Shay with a crystal-clear understanding. "I knew that. I didn't understand it until I got older, and then I had to accept it. They loved me, and that's why they did what they did. They didn't want me to be in danger anymore."

"Hell of a lot of good it did," Shay said bitterly.

"Your father did the same for you," Jamie said quietly. She braced herself, knowing the reaction that would cause, but also knowing it had to be said.

Shay dropped her arm, his face hardening and his eyes boring into her. "That isn't your business."

"Oh? You mean that you can worry about what my father did and didn't do, but I can't worry about yours?"

"I don't want to talk about this!" Shay snapped, reaching for the door handle.

Jamie stepped in front of the door to block him. "You have to talk about it sooner or later."

"No, I don't! Now move!"

"No." Jamie stubbornly met Shay's furious glare.

"Jamie, so help me-"

"What? Are you going to curse me?" Jamie asked defiantly.

"Damn it, Jamie! Move!"

"No! This is about your father, Shay. It always has been...at least, that's what it's rooted in. You have to face that."

"No, I don't!" Shay shouted.

"Then when, Shay?" Jamie demanded, her own voice raised. "When are you going to deal with this? It's been too long already! You've been carrying this your entire life! I know; I was there! I saw it! I remember the day your mother died-"

"Shut up, Jamie!"

"-you didn't cry at all. You looked so angry. You didn't say a word all day. But something happened that day, Shay. You closed yourself off to the rest of the world. You hid."

"I did not HIDE!"

"Yes, you did!" Jamie retorted. "You're still hiding! You refuse to have anything to do with Neville Longbottom, because you blame your dad for your mum's death! You think that if he had been with your mum instead of out trying to save the world, he would have been there to help your mum later on!"

"She was all alone!" Shay raged. "He went out to go protect everyone else, and he died! He was never there for her, and she needed him! That's what I saw, Jamie! I saw her holding his picture and crying; I saw her being lonely and in pain; I saw her continuing to fight to protect me and to make sure what he died for wasn't in vain, but it all failed anyway! His death was for nothing, and all it did was rip my mother's heart in shreds! And yes, maybe if he had been there for her, she wouldn't have died!"

Jamie was more than a little surprised by Shay's tirade, but at the same time, she knew what Shay was feeling; she had felt it before, too. Shay needed to say this; had needed to say it for a long, long time.

"So if you want to pour out your heart to your parents, that's your prerogative, but there's no point in it! They both want to become Aurors, Jamie, haven't you heard them? Harry still has to fight Voldemort; if you want to throw your heart at them and get it crushed again, I can't stop you, but I'm damn well not going to stand by and silently watch it happen! And I'm not going to go through that again!"

Jamie reached for Shay and caught his arm. "So what?" she asked, much more quietly. "You're just going to distance yourself from everybody, and try to convince me to do the same?"

"Getting close will only get you hurt."

"Yes, maybe," Jamie agreed. "Maybe Harry will fight Voldemort in this time and lose." Even the thought of that hurt, but she couldn't let it stop her. "But things might be different-didn't we come here to ensure just that? I can't spend my life cut off from everyone, Shay. Maybe it would be safe, emotionally, but it wouldn't change what happens to Harry and Ginny. And if I did, I would miss out on everything else-I would miss out on the love and acceptance, and the friendship and the conversations and...and it's a risk. Life is a risk, but if you retreat from the world, you're going to be so lonely."

"I've been fine so far." Shay pulled his arm out of Jamie's grasp and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You've had friends. You have me and Will, and I think that's kept you from being completely alone, but what if something happens to us? What if-"

"It won't."

"You don't know that. What if I die, Shay? Are you going to turn your back on everyone for the rest of your life?"

"You're not going to die!" Shay yelled.

"Says who? You? I don't want to die, Shay, but death comes to everyone eventually! That's life! It hurts, but it happens! You know that as well as I do! And if something does happen to me-or to Will, or to both of us-I couldn't stand the thought of you pushing everyone away for the rest of your life! You already push me away sometimes, and I'm your best friend!"

For a moment, Jamie was sure Shay was going to hex her; he looked that furious.

But all he said, through gritted teeth, is, "Are you quite finished talking now?"

Jamie felt a sense of defeat; Shay was retreating into himself again. She couldn't let it end like this, though. She sat down on the floor in front of the door. "No."

Shay threw up his hands in exasperation. "What do you want, Jamie!?"

The question gave her pause. What did she want? She considered carefully, and then said, "I just want you."

The answer seemed to throw Shay, and he said, "What?"

"I just want you," Jamie repeated. "I want you to be you, without the mask you try to wear, without the fortress you keep up...I want you to see what an amazing opportunity we've been given-our pasts are remembered, but they're not here. You have the chance to get to know both of your parents-even if Gabrielle doesn't know who you are-and...well, how can you pass that up? Nothing will replace the mother you knew, but she doesn't have to be a replacement; just get to know her as the little kid she is now. You don't know what Gabrielle-or Neville, for that matter-will become, and the same goes for me. I don't know what Harry and Ginny will become-I don't know for sure that they'll get married, even though they're together now. But at least I'm taking what time I've been given and I'm getting to know them. And Shay-I knowyou. I know you better than anyone, and I know that you're unhappy. You've been dealing with a lot the last few months-Neville, Draco, trying to live a 'normal' student's life-and you're still holding onto everything we've left behind. I did that with Remus, and it didn't work. It took talking to him to realize how incredible this whole experience is-it's like I said at Christmas. We have a second chance. Can't you see what that means?"

To Jamie's further surprise, instead of looking murderous, Shay looked quite taken aback by her answer. He clenched his jaw and rubbed a hand across his forehead. "It means that we might have to go through all of our pasts again."

Jamie took a deep breath and let it out, then nodded. "It's a possibility. But isn't it also a possibility that we might get to see a whole new future take place? I mean, that's why we came back; you have to believe it's possible."

Shay simply looked at her, and then he sighed. "Yes, I thought it was possible-it was the only chance we had."

"Then give it a chance, Shay," Jamie pleaded. "Please. Just give it a chance."

They locked gazes, and finally Shay gave a brief nod. "I can't promise anything. But I'll try."

Jamie held out her hand, and Shay took it and pulled her to her feet. She gave it a squeeze before she let go. "That's all I can ask."

"Any idea what they're talking about in there?" Ron muttered to Hermione.

Hermione shrugged. "I haven't seen Shay come bursting out in a rage, so it can't be too terrible."

"He looked kind of funny when he and Jamie came downstairs. I wonder what they were yelling about."

Hermione shrugged again, though she was bit curious, too. No one had dared go upstairs to interrupt the muffled shouting that was coming from the girls' room, and Will had said it was a bad idea anyway. "They'll work it out. They always do, and they come off better for it in the end. Trust me." When they came downstairs, Jamie had looked very calm for someone who had just been in a shouting match, and Shay had looked...strange.

"It's not fair that Harry and Ginny get to be privy to this whole conversation with Dumbledore, and we're stuck waiting out here," Ron moped.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron, it concerns Harry and Ginny. Didn't you see the articles in the Prophet?" She tried to keep her anger in check-anger at Rita Skeeter, who was technically following the terms Hermione had set at the end of her fourth year. Rita had kept her quill to herself for a whole year-save for the interview with Harry that Hermione had requested. Hermione had hoped that would have taught Rita Skeeter a lesson, but apparently, some people never changed.

"Yes, but it concerns us, too! Jamie was our niece in the future! We raised her, didn't we?"

"Ron, be patient. They'll be out shortly."

"I can't believe all those things that Skeeter hag wrote about Harry and Ginny," Ron said, squeezing his hands into fists. "I mean-"

"I know what you mean, Ron," Hermione cut him off. He had been over this several times, and he had only succeeded in getting himself worked up about the situation. She wasn't surprised; Ron had always been protective of Ginny, despite his typical brotherly teasing. She would never forget the look on his face when he had seen Harry and Ginny holding hands earlier. She had reminded him-quite forcibly-that he had been subtley encouraging the two of them to get together since the end of their fifth year.

"But...it's different!" Ron had protested.

"Why? Because they're actually together now?"

"Yes!"

Ron, Hermione had decided, made no sense sometimes. Just a little while ago, Ginny had whispered to Hermione, Ginny had said that she was sure Ron was going to give Harry his 'touch my sister and die' mantra.

"I-" Ron stopped and stood up when the door to the study opened, and Will, Shay, Jamie, Harry, and Ginny emerged. Moments later, Dumbledore followed. He smiled at Ron and Hermione, and then swept out of the room.

"Well?" Ron demanded. "What's going on?"

The others exchanged glances, and then Ginny said, "Jamie's coming to Hogwarts."

Ron's mouth dropped open, and Hermione blinked. "Really?"

Jamie nodded. "We decided that it would be best-Dumbledore said people would be able to keep a closer eye on me if I go to Hogwarts, and since the wizarding world already knows I exist..." She half-smiled.

"It's risky," Harry sighed, absently running his thumb over Ginny's fingers. It still took Hermione aback that Harry and Ginny seemed so comfortable with their new relationship-but at the same time, it seemed so right. "Hogwarts hasn't always been the safest place for us, and it's where Dumbledore died in the original timeline. But I don't think Grimmauld Place is any safer. I'll feel better having her at Hogwarts."

"What about Will and Shay?" Hermione asked, looking back and forth between them.

"We'll still be Will Warren and Shay Long. No one needs to find out we have any connection to the future. People at Hogwarts already know I'm friends with all of you, and they know Shay's friends with me," Will explained. "So..."

"We don't really know what will happen if I go to Hogwarts, but that's kind of the point," Jamie said. "We don't know what will happen if I were to stay here, or go into hiding somewhere else...and I don't want to go into hiding. I'm so tired of sitting around and doing nothing just because I look like Harry."

"Funny...I feel that way too, sometimes," Harry muttered. "It'll be a lot worse at Hogwarts, Jamie-as far as facing the public, I mean."

"I know," Jamie said bracingly. "It's all right. I'll manage."

"Say, did you have to deal with that while you were growing up? The whole 'being Harry Potter's daughter' thing?" Ron asked curiously.

Jamie shook her head. "My...our parents did their best to hide us from Voldemort and his group... That's why the Death Eaters who...um...killed Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione didn't go searching the house for us...they didn't know we existed."

Hermione felt a pang as she realized yet again what Jamie, Will, Shay, and Molly had been through.

"Well, prepare yourself," Harry said with a short laugh. "You're about to enter an entirely different world."

Author notes: Well, Shay and Jamie did it again-took control of the story to have conversations that weren't supposed to be there, that is. The scene between them was NOT supposed to go like that, and at the end of it, I found myself wondering how in the world Shay's issues with Neville got worked into it, but hey...it's what happened, so I thought it best to leave it there. Especially as Shay finally seemed to be making a tiny bit of progress on some of his issues.

Next chapter, we get back to Hogwarts...and further the plot to work our way toward the end of this story...

Chapter Twenty-Three ~ Enmities

"That wasn't so terrible, was it?" Hermione whispered as Jamie collapsed into an empty seat at the Gryffindor table.

Jamie buried her head in her arms. "They're all staring at me."

"You knew this would happen," Will whispered softly.

"I know...but it's one thing to know it and another to see it," Jamie said. "It's...I'm not used to it. It makes me nervous."

"It's very disconcerting," Harry agreed. "And you might not ever get used to it, but you'll learn to deal with it."

"At least I got put in Gryffindor. I don't know what I would have done if I had ended up in Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff... I would have felt so alone. I didn't think I would be in Slytherin. And it's really weird to pretend that I just met Will...and I'm going to have to 'meet' Shay sometime soon. It's going to be hard. And annoying."

Hermione could imagine...it would be like trying to pretend to meet Ron and Harry, when she had known them for years. Would it be completely obvious? Will, Shay, and Jamie just knew each other so well...would their body language, and the looks they gave each other, give them away?

"It'll be an adjustment, Jamie, but we'll help you through it," Hermione said encouragingly.

And an adjustment it was-for Harry and Ginny as well as Jamie. Whispers, rumors, and stares followed all three of them over the next week. Some people outright avoided Jamie, and some people seemed to graft toward her like a magnet-of course, those people tended to be the ones that wanted any and all information about the future. Jamie received many awkward questions-"do you know what happened to me in the future?" "can you tell me if this happened?" Others were very nice to her-several students from different houses made a point to be friendly and treat her normally. Colin Creevey even offered tips on developing different types of film.

Ginny ignored everything bad that was said about her, but Jamie tended to take comments more to heart, though she did her best not to show it. And of course, the mail didn't help. During the last week of holidays at Grimmauld Place, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had screened Ginny and Jamie's mail, for safety precaution, and now Hermione was starting to see why. Anything involving Harry became worldwide wizarding news, and Ginny and Jamie were both going through the same sort of thing Hermione had gone through in her fourth year, when everyone thought she had broken Harry's heart. Some of the letters they received were nice and encouraging, but others were awful. Some directed at Jamie told her, in very harsh words, that she was messing with the future, and she would be cursed forever because of it. Ginny received a Howler from a teenage girl who told her off for getting together with Harry and 'not giving anyone else a chance.' A couple of the letters had curses attached, and both girls ended up in the hospital wing at least once.

Then, of course, there was the tense experience of Jamie's first week of classes. Tuesday, the Gryffindors had Double Potions with the Slytherins. The class started out badly. They paired up at cauldrons, and Jamie doubled with Hermione. Hermione saw her glance over at Shay, who was working with Blaise Zabini. Jamie had officially 'met' Shay yesterday morning, and had thus far done a fair job of pretending not to know Will and Shay for very long. Will-who was a terrible actor-seemed to be having the hardest time with it. He had slipped twice and called her 'James,' but fortunately, the only person who had heard him was Katie Bell, and she had only looked at him curiously. If she had any suspicions, she kept them to herself.

Hermione decided that Potions class went well until the moment Snape entered the dungeons. He bestowed upon Jamie the same loathing looks and scathing remarks that he reserved for Harry. Malfoy, of course, thought it was all hilarious, and whispered several nasty comments of his own at Jamie. Hermione kept a close on eye on Shay, whose fingers were growing ever whiter around the knife he was using to slice up ginger root. Knowing Shay's history with Malfoy, and his obvious care for Jamie, Hermione could only hope that Shay wouldn't use the knife for anything other than cutting roots.

Fortunately, he restrained himself, and at the end of class, Jamie escaped before Malfoy could say or do anything else. Hermione had to wonder how long this could go on before someone snapped. Malfoy's comments angered her, too, but they couldn't afford to give him the satisfaction of knowing this. Besides, she had the wonderful memory of Jamie punching Malfoy the first time they had met, though Malfoy's memory had been modified so that he didn't remember it. Too bad, really.

Despite the jeers Jamie received in potions, Hermione was surprised to see that it was one subject that Jamie excelled in. It became obvious that Jamie had a very good knowledge of potions, and she mixed their Wound-Healing Draft with only a few glances at the blackboard. When she asked Will about it later, he said, "Oh, yeah...I didn't think to mention it. Jamie's always had an aptitude for potions-whenever we needed different types of potions, she was the one who brewed them."

On Thursday in Double Charms, Jamie was almost late to class. She collapsed between Hermione and Neville. "This is driving me crazy," she moaned, laying her head on the desk.

"What happened?" Hermione asked sympathetically.

"Someone wanted my autograph. My autograph!" Jamie looked up and gazed around at the group in disbelief.

Ron snorted, and Harry sighed. "I warned you."

"I know." Jamie allowed her head to flop back onto the desk.

"Ahem!" Professor Flitwick's high voice brought silence to the class, and he looked around from on top of his stack of books. "Good morning, class! Today we are going to be working on yet another Memory Charm!" He hopped down off of his stack of books and rocked forward on his toes. "Now, as you know, we have already covered Memory Modification and Memory Recollection, both of which are to be used only under proper circumstances. The same goes for the third one we are going to learn-Memory Transfer Spell."

"Ooh!" Hermione gave a tiny exclamation of happiness. "I've been wanting to try this one for years!"

Ron rolled his eyes, and Hermione ignored the urge to grimace at him. She gave Professor Flitwick her full attention as he continued, "Now, in order to do this, you must have at least two people. I'm going to need everybody to choose one memory to share, and we'll go through them one at a time. I'll start with two volunteers who are willing to go first."

There were numerous protests. "Professor Flitwick, what if I don't want to share a memory?" Lavender protested.

"Will and Jamie can't share memories," Hermione hissed at Ron and Harry. "Will especially; no one knows who he is."

"Oh, don't worry! You don't have to choose a personal memory! You can choose to show your memory of walking down to breakfast, and it need only be a very short memory," Professor Flitwick reassured.

The class looked at each other skeptically, but Hermione finally raised her hand. "I'll do it first." She nudged Ron.

Ron looked at her stubbornly, but finally sighed. "Fine; I might as well get it over with. He raised his hand, and Professor Flitwick bounced on his feet. "Excellent! Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley, please come to the front."

Ron and Hermione made their way to Professor Flitwick.

"All right, now stand here. Good, good. Now. Who would like to be the one who shares a memory first?"

"I'll do it," Hermione offered.

"Splendid!" Professor Flitwick beamed. "Now, what I want you to do is face each other. Miss Granger, think of a very short, simple memory-also, it doesn't have to be recent-and concentrate on it. I'm going to teach you how to transfer the memory to Mr. Weasley, and if it is performed correctly, he should see your memory in his mind."

"What if it doesn't go correctly?" Ron muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Then you won't see anything," Professor Flitwick said. "Ms. Granger, you are going to place your wand tip against your temple and say, 'Transfero,' while thinking quite clearly of your memory. You will then touch your wand tip to Mr. Warren's temple, like so." Professor Flitwick touched his own wand to his head to demonstrate the movement. "And say 'Transfero' again."

"Right." Hermione tried to think of a memory she wouldn't mind sharing with Ron, and then the rest of the class. She finally decided on the time she had seen the Eiffel Tower. She concentrated on the image and touched her wand to her temple, saying the Memory Transfer Spell, and repeating it as she touched Ron's temple. Ron blinked, then grinned. "The Eiffel Tower. Wow, it's tall..."

Hermione rolled her eyes, feeling pleased that the spell had been successful.

"It worked? Splendid! Now, Mr. Weasley, you do the same with Ms. Granger."

Ron furrowed his brow in concentration, touching his wand to his head and then to Hermione's as he said the spell. Hermione wasn't sure what to expect-or what memory Ron would choose. Suddenly, her mind was overwhelmed with a crystal-clear image, and it took her a minute to sort out what it was. She seemed to be in a car, but there was sky all around...and then the car she was in took a dive, heading straight for the Whomping Willow... She gasped aloud as the memory ended with the car taking a nosedive into the tree. "Ron!" she said reproachfully.

Ron grinned and shrugged. "It was an interesting memory."

Hermione snorted and turned to Professor Flitwick. "It worked."

"Excellent! Now for the second part of the spell-now, class, I will tell you that this part of the spell is not necessary. The Memory Transfer Spell was just what you saw, but I'm going to show you how to share that memory with a large group of people. We call it Memory Retrieval, and it will not work on memories of your own. It will only work on a memory that has been transferred. I'll show you. Ms. Granger, would you please come stand beside me?"

Hermione acquiesced, and Professor Flitwick stretched up on tiptoes to touch his wand to Hermione's temple. "Ready? Recuperso Transfero Memoria." Abruptly, the same image that Hermione had seen of Ron's father's Ford Anglia crashing into the Whomping Willow appeared in the middle of the air. It was much smaller than reality; it was rather like watching a Muggle film, except there was no screen. "Now, Mr. Weasley?"

Ron came to stand beside Hermione, and Professor Flitwick repeated the process. A miniature image of the Eiffel Tower appeared in the classroom. "Now, keep in mind that you are seeing only a shade of what Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley see. They now each hold a memory from the other. Once a memory is transferred, it is transferred permanently. The retrieval doesn't erase the memory; it only shows a visual of it."

Hermione elbowed Ron. "That means I'm stuck with this memory of you crashing into the Whomping Willow for the rest of my life."

"Just be glad I didn't give you the memory of Fred turning my teddy bear into a spider," Ron muttered.

The class was soon put to practicing Memory Transferal, and Hermione watched Will and Jamie's memories warily. Both offered very short, unimportant memories-Jamie of sitting in Professor McGonagall's Transfiguration class, and Will of watching the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. When Professor Flitwick was satisfied that everybody had practiced at least once, he had the class sit back at their desks. "Splendid job! I'm very impressed! Now, keep in mind one more thing about the Memory Transfer Spell-it can also be used to transfer a present memory. That is to say, you can actually create what you want to transfer. It has been used in hospitals to communicate with patients who are unable to speak. The patient simply thinks out what they want to say, and then they transfer that into a Healer or someone else. This, however, is used very, very rarely, since whatever message is transferred becomes a permanent memory for the receiver." The tiny professor clapped his hands. "We're finished for today. Excellent work, class."

Care of Magical Creatures on Friday gave the Gryffindors and Slytherins alike a great surprise. Instead of finding Charlie Weasley waiting for them, a huge man-who Shay knew could only be Hagrid-stood waiting for them, the boarhound Fang drooling at his side. "All righ', Harry! Hermione, Ron!" Hagrid grinned cheerfully in the Gryffindors' direction.

Shay's eyebrows rose. He had heard many a tale of Hagrid, but nothing could compare to seeing him face to face.

"Hagrid! You're back!" Hermione exclaimed. "It's so good to see you!"

"Yeah! But where's Charlie?" Ron asked.

"Ah, he had ter make a trip ter Romania; Oscar's gettin' ter be too big ter keep 'round here." Hagrid looked sorely disappointed.

"You know about Oscar, then?" Neville piped up.

"Oh, yeah. Charlie tol' me all about him. Shame he's not gonna be around more, but Dumbledore's goin' with what Charlie thinks, since he's the one who's raised him. Now, don' worry; Oscar's not gone jus' yet. He's still in his enclosure...Charlie'll be back tomorra ter take him down ter Romania, and-" Hagrid stopped and nodded at Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, who had just arrived from the castle.

Directly behind them was Draco Malfoy, who stopped short at the sight of Hagrid. "Well, well. Look who's back," he said in a low voice as he joined the Slytherins. "A bit late in the school year, isn't it? He must have been lost."

Several of the Slytherins sniggered; it was easy to see the divide in the Slytherins in each class now, and Shay stood apart with Blaise Zabini and Samantha Greer, the only sixth year girl to be part of the S.O.S. and the Hogwarts Coalition. The three of them were far outnumbered by other sixth year Slytherins, but that didn't make a difference in Shay's book.

"Is everyone here?" Hagrid peered around at the class.

"Hey, Potter," Draco called softly, and Harry's head snapped around. "How do you feel about having a teacher who can't even count?"

"When you have something worth saying, Malfoy, I might listen. Oh, wait. You never have anything worth saying." Harry pointedly turned away from Draco. "Hagrid, we're still missing Ja-"

"I'm here!" Jamie ran up breathlessly, brushing hair out of her face. She smiled a little nervously at Hagrid. "Um, hi."

Hagrid looked at Jamie in shock for a full ten seconds, and then he let out a sound halfway between a gasp and an exclamation. "They tol' me yeh look jus' like Harry...but I never..." He clapped Jamie on the shoulder, and Harry and Hermione grabbed her to keep her knees from buckling. "Welcome ter Hogwarts!"

"Er...thanks." Jamie straightened, and her eyes met Shay's. Shay looked at her for a moment before averting his gaze; he couldn't appear to be too familiar with her, or people would get suspicious. And while Shay figured that while people might know about him and Will eventually, he preferred to remain anonymous for the time being, and Will had agreed. It would allow them to operate more quietly if people didn't know who they were-and thus, it would allow them to keep a careful eye on the situations around them.

"Well, if it isn't the little half-blood Potter freak," Draco murmured. Hagrid, who was heading toward Oscar the dragon's enclosure, didn't hear, but everyone else did.

Shay knotted his jaw and debated sending a curse Draco's way, but found he didn't have to. Ron, Harry, and Hermione had their wands out and were pointing them at Draco. Draco had his eyes on them and didn't see Samantha Greer discreetly point her wand at Draco's back and whisper something under her breath. Shay looked at her and raised his eyebrows, and Samantha grinned wickedly before putting an a bored expression.

A moment later, Draco gasped. "Wh-" his hands and fingers were expanding like a balloon...his fingers looked like sausages. Then his shoes shredded, and Shay saw that his feet were growing at the same rate. The Gryffindors all burst out laughing. Draco glared, but he couldn't even hold his wand anymore. It fell out of his fingers, and Pansy bent to pick it up.

"You'll pay for this, Potter," Malfoy said, glaring, and he whirled off toward the castle, walking through the snow very awkwardly on his growing feet.

Shay wasn't sure if Draco had been referring to Harry or Jamie-probably both. He grinned at his fellow Slytherin. "Nice one, Samantha."

"Thanks."

The class was distracted from any potential fight by a burst of flame. They all whirled to see that Hagrid had opened Oscar the Antipodean Opal-eye's enclosure. The enclosure had been constructed by Charlie Weasley, and was in between Hagrid's cabin and the Forbidden Forest. It looked like a small house, but had all sorts of fireproofing spells on it. Oscar had only started breathing fire just before Christmas, but Charlie had been drilling the class on fireproofing spells for several months. He had also taught them how to perform mass Stunning Spells, and how to work together to reign Oscar in. It had still never been made very clear why they were raising a dragon-Charlie had only said that there were some things that it helped to know, and dealing with dragons was one of them. "It's dangerous to try to tame dragons-but learning to work with them is something else entirely."

"Um, Hagrid? Do you think it's such a good idea to let him out...?" Hermione called. "Charlie always-"

"Ah, he'll be fine!" Hagrid chuckled. "Won't yeh, Oscar? 'Sides, yeh gotta say good-bye ter him!" He stepped away from the door of the enclosure just as another burst of flame shot out. "Hey, where'd Malfoy go?"

When they finally escaped Care of Magical Creatures without being burned (thanks to all of Charlie's lessons), Shay moved onto Muggle Studies, his only other class besides Astronomy, which wouldn't happen until midnight. On Friday afternoon, he met with Will and Hermione for his extra Transfiguration lessons. Under Hermione's tutelage, he and Will had improved greatly in their Transfiguration skills, and they were now meeting on Monday and Friday afternoons, having cut out the Wednesday tutelage.

Shay was mildly surprised to see Jamie sitting with Will and Hermione in the Transfiguration classroom. She looked distracted about something, and blinked when he looked at her questioningly. "Professor McGonagall seems to think I need extra help on my Transfiguration lessons."

Shay sat down across from her. "How're your other classes going?"

"All right. You've seen my potions classes...I can do the work just fine; it's just some of the people..." Jamie made a face. "The other classes are all right." She looked a bit frazzled, and Shay didn't blame her. It had been really strange his first week of school, too. Jamie sighed again, still looking bothered by something. Shay exchanged glances with Will, who shrugged, silently saying that he saw it too, but didn't know what was wrong. "What are you doing tonight?"

Shay looked at Jamie with narrowed eyes for a moment. "Draco's scheduled to have a meeting with one of the Death Eaters tonight-he used to meet them every Friday night, but back in December he started meeting them every other Friday... At his last meeting, he said he'd report in the first Friday after Christmas holidays."

"Good luck. Hopefully something useful will be revealed before too long," Jamie said. She tried to sound hopeful, but Shay could see doubt on her face, and he didn't blame her. He was beginning to doubt Draco's usefulness too.

They went through the Transfiguration tutorial, and then Hermione took off for Gryffindor Tower, saying, "Prefect duties tonight! I have to go!"

As soon as Hermione was gone, Shay and Will both turned to Jamie. "What's wrong?" Shay asked immediately.

Jamie laid her head on the desk in front of her. "It's..." She sighed and looked up at them.

"James, what is it?" Will asked softly.

Jamie shot a look at Shay. "It's Draco."

Shay stiffened, feeling angry without knowing exactly what Draco had done. "What'd he do?" he asked sharply.

"He..." Jamie hesitated, looking ever more troubled.

"Jamie, if he hurt you-"

"No, no. It's not what he did. It's what he said. I...saw him at the library...I went there to pick up a book on advanced potions-I wanted to check the differences between the present day's Skin Regeneration Draft and our own time's version-"

Shay would have rolled his eyes had his mind not been so focused on Draco Malfoy. Besides being the one who had pulled ingredients together and made potions, Jamie had learned the properties and theory behind each one, and once she made a potion, she could usually remember how to make it again. Despite Jamie's interest in learning photography, Shay suspected that her knowledge and enthusiasm of brewing potions would end up coming into play in whatever she chose to do with her future.

"Anyway, Draco came into the library-"

"You were alone?" Shay asked. "Jamie, you're supposed to have someone with you wherever you are in the school-"

"Ginny was meeting me there," Jamie cut him off. "And Madam Pince and other students were there-"

"Still, you're-"

"Shay, would you let me finish?" Jamie asked, exasperated. "Ginny was on time; I just got there a couple of minutes early. I think Draco must have followed me after my last class... All he did was walk by me and say..." Here Jamie looked even more troubled, and she knotted her fingers together. She took a deep breath. "He looked at me and went, 'just here to look at Hair-Lengthening Charms.' And he smirked and walked away... I told Ginny about it when she got there, but...I haven't mentioned Hair-Lengthening Charms since Grimmauld Place...how could Draco have known?"

Shay's jaw tightened. "Draco knows how the information is being leaked from the Order."

"That was my first thought, too," Jamie admitted. She looked sharply at Shay. "That doesn't mean you can go curse it out of him."

"Oh, I didn't say anything about cursing," Shay muttered.

"Shay," Will spoke up. "Jamie's right-you can't do anything to Draco. We have to be subtle about this-we can possibly get even more if we do this quietly."

"Actually, I had an idea about that." Jamie glanced down at her hands for a moment, and then looked back up at Shay and Will, a steely look in her eyes. "Veritaserum."

Will blinked and looked at Shay, who shrugged. Veritaserum was a very advanced potion, and controlled by strict Ministry guidelines. "You've never made it before," Will said cautiously.

"It doesn't mean I can't," Jamie replied stubbornly. "I'd just have to see the potion recipe...I bet I could figure it out. It's worth a try, anyway...I'd at least like to ask Hermione about it. If I can't figure it out, I bet we can together. We could learn a lot more from Draco then..."

Will and Shay looked at each other, and then back at Jamie. "All right," Shay said abruptly. "We'll look into it-starting immediately."

Feeling more irritable than usual, Shay waited for the next couple of hours to pass, and then used the invisibility cloak to follow Draco to the classroom where he was meeting the Death Eater. Sometimes he managed to get into the room before Draco closed the door, and tonight was one of those nights. He stood silently by the door and waited-Draco never contacted the Death Eater; the Death Eater always contacted him. Sure enough, before three minutes had passed, a masked head appeared in the fireplace.

"Mr. Malfoy," a raspy voice issued from the mask. "I am only here tonight to ensure that you have received your instructions."

"Yes, of course," Draco said lazily.

"The Potter girl is there?"

"Yes, and just as annoying as her father," Draco said bitingly.

"I am not interested in petty school enmities. She is essential to the Dark Lord's plans."

Shay tensed. There was no way on this earth that he was going to allow Jamie to be any part of Voldemort's plans.

"You will receive the package in the mail shortly, and then you know what to do."

"Of course, of course."

"You must be ready." With an abrupt pop, the Death Eater was gone. It was, without a doubt, the shortest meeting Draco had ever had with the Death Eaters.

Shay waited several minutes after Draco had left before cautiously leaving the room. It seemed that Jamie's idea for Veritaserum would come in handy for more than one thing-if it could be made. And he was definitely going to have to keep an eye on Draco's mail...and make sure that Jamie was never alone.

"So you think it's possible?" Jamie whispered to Hermione as they stood in the corner of the common room.

Hermione frowned. "Well...it's possible. It's also illegal..."

Jamie raised her eyebrows and looked at Hermione skeptically.

Hermione laughed. "All right," she conceded, "so we've done illegal things before...hmm...if I remember correctly, the recipe for Veritaserum is in the book Moste Potente Potions. It's in the Restricted Section of the library, but I'm sure we could get our hands on it." She sighed. "I'll see what I can do to get a hold of it, all right? I know it takes at least a month to prepare, and we'll have to get a hold of all the ingredients..." She had that faraway look of concentration that she got when trying to piece something together. She patted Jamie on the arm. "We'll work it out."

Midnight found the entire sixth year class shivering in the freezing January air on top of the astronomy tower. Jamie shared a telescope with Neville Longbottom, right beside a group of Ravenclaw girls. Over the past week, she had seen quite a bit of Neville, and really liked him. She hoped that Shay would be able to mend his problems with Neville and really get to know him.

Jamie spread the star chart they were supposed to be making on the ground while Neville set up the telescope. Professor Sinistra stood in the middle of the tower, going around to different groups of students and talking to them.

Jamie nearly accidentally ripped the star chart in half when she heard one of the Ravenclaw's beside her say, "Still no luck with Shay, then, Jenn?" Her head snapped around, and she saw that the speaker was a brunette. She was talking to girl with short, curly hair, who turned and glanced very obviously in Shay's direction. Her Shay's direction.

Jenn sighed. "No."

A third Ravenclaw-this one a blonde girl-shook her head. "It's not you, Jenn. It's been over three months since we went out, and since then, he hasn't been paying much attention to anyone-at first I thought it was me, but...Shay Long is just...very closed off. I think he has problems with getting close to people..."

"You went out with Shay?" the surprised words were out of Jamie's mouth before she realized it. She mentally slapped herself. Stupid, Jamie!

The blonde girl looked at her, frowning. "Yes. The first week was fine, but then...well, he was just so distracted. He's such a brooding guy...do you know him? I thought..."

"Um, I just know of him. He's...er...one of the only students that ever entered Hogwarts in sixth year, too..."

"Oh." The girl looked at her for a moment, and then stuck out her hand. "I'm Rowan."

"I'm-"

"Jamie Potter. I know." Rowan shook her head and looked over her shoulder at Shay. "If you were thinking of trying to get his attention, I'd give up while you're ahead. You, too, Jenn," she said, looking back at her curly-haired friend.

Jenn sighed. "But he's so...mysterious. And you're so lucky, Rowan-you at least got a little bit close to him..."

Had Jamie not been feeling so bothered by this talk, she would have snorted as she was struck by the sudden image of Shay with his mouth stuffed full of food, asking her why he needed manners. Shay? Mysterious? Well, to be fair, he probably did appear very mysterious to anyone who didn't know him well... But this was Shay they were talking about. She had seen him in pretty much every situation anyone could imagine.

And it really, really bothered her that another girl had been even 'a little bit close to him.' She studied Shay as he leaned to look into a telescope. Why hadn't he told her he had dated someone at Hogwarts? And why did that idea upset her so much?

"Jamie? Jamie, are you getting this?"

Jamie realized that Neville was talking to her, and she pulled herself out of her disturbed thoughts to look at him. "What?"

"Saturn. We're trying to mark Saturn's position," Neville said patiently.

"Oh. Oh, right. Sorry." Jamie spent the remainder of the class working on the chart with Neville, and trying to keep her mind off the thought of Shay being with a girl, without much success. The thought of Shay dating anyone hurt...and she didn't want to think about why it hurt. She was very relieved when the class was over.

"Jamie, why don't you head back to Gryffindor Tower with Ron and Hermione? I'll take care of the telescope and chart," Neville offered.

Jamie sighed and stood up. She must have looked really distracted. "Thanks." She meandered over to Ron and Hermione. Harry had already disappeared. "Where's Harry?"

"Oh, he went to..." Ron looked around discreetly. "He went to talk to Hagrid. We wanted to go, but...well, we have trouble all squishing under the invisibility cloak now...two of us can fit, but three's rough...we told him we'd go talk to Hagrid tomorrow, but he didn't want to wait."

"Oh. Um, isn't Hagrid asleep?"

"With a dragon outside? Especially when that dragon is leaving tomorrow? I doubt it," Ron snorted.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, before Hermione asked, "Are you all right, Jamie?"

"Fine." Jamie sighed and tucked her cold hands into her robe. "Just fine."

Chapter Twenty-Four ~ Preparations

"Come on, you lot, this is the first Quidditch training this term! We play Hufflepuff in a little over a month. We have to be ready." Harry walked back and forth in front of his teammates, who were sitting on a bench in the locker room, or on the floor in front of it.

Ginny yawned and slumped over on Ron's shoulder. Ron grunted and stared at Harry through half-closed eyelids. Katie mumbled something about over-achieving lunatic Quidditch captains and gave Daniel Everard, who had dozed off on the floor, a poke in the side. Andrew Kirke sat on the corner of the bench, his chin resting on his hands. Sari Xiu stared blearily at Harry, trying to keep her eyes open so she didn't miss anything he said.

"Harry," Ron groaned. "We're ready. Really. We're ready. And it's five in the bloody morning. On a Saturday."

Harry waved a hand, as if to say that sleeping in was not as important as Quidditch practice. "Yes, well, the Ravenclaws booked the pitch starting at eight," Harry said briskly. "We need to get practice in before that, because the Slytherins booked the pitch at noon-they're playing Ravenclaw in two weeks. Hufflepuff booked the pitch this evening. This is the only chance we'll get to practice today. You can go to bed once we're finished."

"Aw, come on, Harry-your girlfriend has to stay up till horrid hours of the morning studying, and you still drag her out of bed for Quidditch practice?" Katie raised her eyebrow, a sly look on her tired face.

"Hey, now. Harry's girlfriend doesn't need special treatment when it comes to Quidditch," Ginny said, sticking her chin up. "I can..." she let out another huge yawn "...handle it. Continue, Harry." It was still somewhat of a novelty that she was actually Harry's girlfriend. It was...amazing. She had never felt so comfortable or right with anybody in her entire life. Granted, Harry had been more hesitant about hugging her or kissing her or even holding her hand, and Ginny was sure it was because he was so unused to any physical contact. Sometimes she just wanted to take her wand and let loose a few Bat-Bogey Hexes on the supposed 'family' that had raised him. She had determined long ago that they might be family by blood, but they certainly didn't deserve the title.

Harry smiled at her, a smile that made her feel warm despite the cold air, and despite her exhaustion, but then he continued with his pep talk. "Now, we know that the last few months, Summerby has been training his Beaters to round off and separate the Chasers, thanks to intelligence from Gryffindor's personal spy, Dennis Creevey. We also know that Sari'll probably be a target during the game-our tactics during our match with Slytherin used Sari a lot to slip past the bigger players. We're going to have to change tactics, but Summerby might concentrate on keeping Sari out of the way anyway-"

"Wonderful," Sari grumbled. She yawned widely, closed her eyes, and curled up like a cat at Katie's feet. "Well, if that's settled," she said without opening her eyes. "You can wake me up when it's time for breakfast."

Harry frowned. "This is serious!" he said. "This match could very well determine the rest of the year's matches! Sari-" Rolling his eyes, Harry knelt down and shook her. Sari opened one eye and peered at him. "This is important!"

"So's sleep. My mum always said sleep is one of the most important things you can have-and she's a professional Quidditch player." Sari promptly closed her eye again.

Ginny bit back a giggle. As they had discovered last term, Sari could get very cranky and stubborn when she was tired.

Sari popped open an eye again. "Besides," she told Harry, "The Hufflepuffs are different from the Slytherins. They won't do the same thing that the Slytherins did to me."

Ginny winced. Partly as revenge for Sari punching Draco at the beginning of the year, partly to try to ruin the Gryffindor team, the Slytherins had stooped to low levels before their game in December. They had shoved Sari into the vanishing cupboard (she had been found trapped in a suit of armor in a dusty corner near the Divination classroom). They had cursed her so she was temporarily blinded-and as sight was the only way she could understand what anyone was saying, it had been a particularly cruel thing to do.

"Maybe not, but they're every bit as determined to win," Harry said firmly.

"I know, I know. But-" Sari was silenced when Katie patted her on the shoulder. Sari looked up at her, and Katie said, "It's no use arguing, you know. Harry's become just as fanatical about this as Oliver was. If that's possible."

Sari frowned, probably wondering who Oliver was.

"All right, all right," Harry snapped. "Let's get out on the field. Everyone grab your brooms-and someone wake Daniel up."

They dragged themselves out onto the Quidditch field. There was a biting wind in the air, and Ginny found herself wishing she'd brought a scarf. The pitch was still dark, except for the lights spelled to come on around it. To her surprise, a lone figure was seated out in the stadium. She fell into step beside Harry and nodded at the figure. "Jamie's awake."

Harry frowned and veered in the direction of the stands. "In the air, people! Start getting warmed up!"

Ginny ignored his order and walked with him over to Jamie. "Morning!" Jamie called when they approached. She was bundled up in a thick cloak and scarf, and held a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her gloved hands.

"Er...morning," Harry returned, sounding rather puzzled.

"I just...thought I'd come watch you practice," Jamie said, shrugging. "I...was having trouble sleeping." She looked distinctly uncomfortable for a moment, but then it passed, and she smiled. "Besides, I love Quidditch, and I've never seen a real match-I know this is just practice, but I'd still like to watch."

"No Quidditch?" Harry shook his head.

"Do you fly well, Jamie?" Ginny asked.

"I'm...all right. I do love it. Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron had brooms for all of us when we were little, and even Quidditch balls, and they let us play on them sometimes, when we couldn't be seen by anyone. Well, Uncle Ron did-I think we gave Aunt Hermione several anxiety attacks-it took us forever to convince Will to get on a broom, and first time on, he fell off and broke his arm and collarbone. To this day, he doesn't like flying. Then there was the time Shay smacked a bludger into my nose..." She sighed wistfully. "Will never liked flying, but I loved it. Shay did it, too-we were always competing on broomsticks. It's been a couple of years since I really rode for pleasure. Every time I was on a broom recently was because it was necessary for escaping or something."

Harry and Ginny exchanged glances. It didn't surprise Ginny that Jamie loved being on a broom-she had a lot in common with both Ginny and Harry, and Quidditch ran in both of their families. "We'll have to see about getting you in the air-I'm sure the school has a broom you can borrow, until you can buy one of your own," Harry said. "Right. Well...we're going to practice. Watch as much as you want. Gin?"

"Meet you for breakfast?" Ginny asked Jamie.

Jamie smiled and nodded, and Ginny turned to follow Harry, covering another yawn. "So...I didn't get the chance to ask you. Did you talk to Hagrid last night?" She knew Harry had wanted to talk to Hagrid all afternoon, but had been unable to do to his sign language lesson with Sari, and his Occlumency lesson with Dumbledore. He had gone down to Hagrid's hut after dinner, but Hagrid hadn't been there.

"Yup. I saw him outside during my Astronomy lesson and went down afterward to talk to him. He was crooning at Oscar." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Did he say where he's been the last few months?"

"Apparently, he was out with Grawp, convincing some of the other giants to join their cause. I couldn't believe he'd gone back to the giants, but Hagrid said Grawp was helping." Harry snorted. "At least Hagrid's not black and blue-Grawp's obviously learned something."

"Did they get any of the giants on their side?"

"Two-one is Grawp's 'lady friend,' I guess. I don't know where Grawp and the other two giants are right now, though-Hagrid said he couldn't tell me." Harry stopped in the middle of the pitch, and looked up at Katie and Sari, who were passing the Quaffle back and forth. In an instant, he snapped back into Quidditch mode, snapping out orders as he shoved off into the air. "Right. Ginny, Katie, Sari-I want you three to practice the pass we were starting to work on at the end of last term. Andrew, Daniel-warm up with hitting bludgers through the hoops-it'll help with your accuracy. We're going to win the cup this year!"

As Ginny pushed herself into the air and joined Katie and Sari, she heard Katie mutter, "Yup. Just as fanatical as Oliver."

"You should talk to him, Neville."

Neville sighed and looked at Jamie. "I've tried. He's..." he trailed off, searching for the right word.

"Stubborn. Pig-headed. Aggressive. Forceful. Belligerent. Need I continue?" Jamie grinned at the expression on Neville's face. "You have to understand, he's been through a lot."

"I know he has. I've heard about it-not all of it, I'm sure, but enough to see an inkling of what his life must have been like," Neville replied. "But...I mean, I can't do anything about it. I haven't ever had the chance!"

"I know. And Shay knows."

"I don't understand why he hates me-or rather, his father in the future-so much," Neville sighed.

"Because Shay blames him for his mother's death." Jamie brushed her hair out of her eyes-she preferred to have long hair, but she was beginning to realize that short hair had its advantages-and looked down at the Astronomy paper she was supposed to be working on with Neville, to complete their homework from last night's class. It was still mid-morning on Saturday, but they had decided they should get it done so they wouldn't have to worry about it the rest of the week. Jamie still wasn't sure how the conversation had changed to the topic of Shay, but she was determined to make the best of it. If Shay wasn't going to take initiative to talk to Neville...well, she was going to her best to help him. "Neville...he's pushing you away because that's what Shay does. He doesn't get close to people. You just have to be persistent and learn to ignore all of the..." She stopped, unsure of how to phrase it, and had the sudden image of a porcupine. "All of the prickles."

"The prickles?"

"Yes. All of the things that Shay tries to jab you with when you get too close. I know it's not an easy thing...it takes a lot of practice. I've had a lifetime of it."

Neville sighed. "I'll keep trying if you think it will help, Jamie."

"I do. Maybe not right away, but eventually..." Besides, Shay had said he would try to work things out with Neville. He just needed...a push in the right direction. And focusing on Shay's relationship with Neville helped distract her from Shay's relationship with...other people. Not much, but she was trying.

"I'll do my best," Neville said. "I don't know how much it will help, but...that's all I can do. I can't-" But whatever Neville was going to say was cut off when Hermione entered the common room, beaming.

"I got it!" she exclaimed triumphantly, waving a piece of parchment in the air. She set it in front of Jamie with flourish.

Jamie automatically looked around the common room, but there were only a couple of fifth years doing homework in a corner. "The Veritaserum recipe?" she murmured quietly.

Hermione nodded and sat down next to Neville, who tended to be included in all of the planning they did now. "I didn't even have to sneak into the Restricted Section-I just asked Tonks if she could sign me a note to get the book, so I could do some advanced studying. And-well, you know Tonks." She shrugged. "I just copied the recipe down, though."

Jamie picked up the paper and unfolded it, carefully scanning the ingredients. "Moonstone...Puffer-fish eyes...powdered asphodel root-those shouldn't be too hard to get a hold of-"

"Actually, I have them in my potions kit," Hermione put in.

"Oh, good. Let's see...ashwinder eggs and jobberknoll feathers...those are going to be trickier. Virish root? I remember learning about that; it makes a potion undetectable-but it's really rare-where are we supposed to get it?"

Hermione smiled. "Well... you're forgetting that Snape makes Veritaserum. He might have some stored-but he might have an alarm on his potions cupboard; he's had ingredients stolen from him twice in the last few years." She frowned. "Actually, it might just be easier to find it ourselves. Virish root only grows in three known places in the entire world-one of those places is the Forbidden Forest."

Jamie blinked. "The..." She repressed a shudder. She didn't want to go back in the forest. Ever. In fact, the centaurs had told her not to come back at all-they'd probably kill her if she went back in. And besides that... "I don't know what virish root looks like."

"I have pictures of the plant; I think I'd be able to find it," Hermione said.

Neville cleared his throat. "Um...I know exactly what it looks like. In fact, I know where some of it is; I saw a virish plant when we were in the forest looking at thestrals last year."

Hermione looked surprised for a moment. "I should have thought of that-Neville's great at Herbology," she told Jamie. She looked at Neville. "Would you be willing to go into the forest and get it?"

Neville looked at her with slight trepidation, but nodded. "I wouldn't have offered, otherwise."

Hermione beamed at him. "Wonderful! Jamie and I will work to gather these other ingredients... hopefully we can get a hold of them soon." She plucked the Veritaserum recipe out of Jamie's hands and perused it again. "Some of these instructions are really complicated. We'll have our work cut out for us."

"Erm...Hermione, exactly where are we going to brew this?" Jamie asked.

"The same place we brewed Polyjuice Potion-Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. No one ever goes in there."

"Isn't that the bathroom that has the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets?" Jamie asked carefully.

"Yes, but it was sealed after our second year. Besides, the basilisk is dead. It'll be fine," Hermione assured. "Aside from Moaning Myrtle's...er..."

"Moaning?" Neville offered.

Hermione smiled. "Exactly."

"What are you two still doing awake?" Hermione slipped off one of the invisibility cloaks and tucked it into her robes. It was past midnight on Sunday, and Jamie and Ginny were the only ones still in the common room. "I thought you were finished with your homework, Gin."

"I am," Ginny said, tucking her legs up and wrapping her arms around them. "What are you doing up? And out of the Tower?"

"I was setting up one of our ingredients for Veritaserum. The moonstone and powdered asphodel root had to be mixed and placed in armadillo bile under the light of a full moon. And since tonight's a full moon..." Hermione shrugged. "I figured I'd get that out of the way, since we're still working out how we're going to get the rest of the ingredients."

"I see," Ginny said, yawning.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "You should go to bed. We have classes in the morning."

"I know," Ginny said, wincing. "And Harry's promised to drag the Quidditch team out of bed early..."

"I didn't know that!" Jamie exclaimed. "You should go to bed! It's my fault you're awake-I kept you up talking."

Ginny waved her hand. "I'd much rather talk with you than get sleep. I can sleep when fifth year is over." She winked. "Besides, I was just getting around to asking you what's bothering you." Something had been bugging Jamie for the last two days, but this was the first chance Ginny had had to sit down with her and talk about it.

"Bothering me? N-nothing."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Hermione?"

Hermione plopped down on the couch next to Ginny. "Actually, Jamie-you've been really quiet. And distracted."

"I haven't been distracted...have I?"

"Jamie, you poured salt into your pumpkin juice at dinner," Ginny told her.

"And you threw your socks in the trash instead of in the laundry when you took a shower this morning," Hermione pointed out.

"And-"

"All right, all right...I'm just..." Jamie stopped and shook her head.

"Jamie, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to," Ginny said. "But we're worried about you. So's Harry. And Ron, though he won't ever admit it. And Will wanted to talk to you, but we convinced him to let us do it first. Neville says you've been distracted since Astronomy class."

Jamie buried her face in her hands. "Am I that obvious...that everybody's noticed?"

"Um...it's kind of hard not to notice, Jamie," Ginny said, hiding a smile.

Jamie sighed. "I get it. I just...don't know how to talk about it. It's not something I've ever..."

"Try," Hermione urged. "Start from the beginning. What got you so upset in the first place?"

Jamie looked down at her hands. "Shay," she muttered, almost inaudibly.

Ginny exchanged amused glances with Hermione. She shut her Transfiguration book and set it aside. "That's not surprising...but this isn't how you usually act when the two of you have had an argument. At least not from what I saw over Christmas." She looked at Jamie shrewdly. She had her suspicions about what, exactly, might be wrong, but she needed Jamie to say it.

"Well...oh, I can't. It sounds so stupid," Jamie muttered, sounding half desperate and half angry.

Hermione and Ginny just looked at her.

"Do you know how many girls Shay has dated at Hogwarts?" Jamie asked quickly.

Ginny bit back a laugh. I thought it was something about Shay... "I don't know, Jamie. Why don't you ask Shay?"

Jamie looked up. "I...was going to. I haven't had the chance yet. The only time I've seen him this weekend was earlier this afternoon, at the Hogwarts Coalition meeting, and I couldn't get him alone, and I just..." she broke off, looked back at her hands, and finished, "I just need to know."

"Well, honestly, Jamie, I don't know," Hermione said. "There was only one girl I ever remember seeing him with, and it wasn't for very long. Every time I saw Shay after that, he kept his distance from everybody." She frowned. "Her name is Rowan-she's a Ravenclaw."

Jamie nodded. "I met her. On top of the Astronomy Tower. She and some other girls were talking about Shay-I guess one of them has a crush on him or something."

She looked fairly indignant, which made Ginny want to laugh even more-not at Jamie's expense, but just because Jamie could be so oblivious to the facts sometimes. At least, it seemed, when it came to Shay. "Oh, Jamie." Ginny shook her head sympathetically. "A lot of the girls near our age had a crush on Shay when he first came to Hogwarts-and I'm sure some still do. You have to admit he's unusually good-looking-due to the veela part of him. But those crushes are superficial, and it's obvious that Shay's ignoring them-if he's even aware of them."

"But he went out with Rowan!" Jamie exclaimed hotly.

"And this bothers you," Hermione stated.

"Yes!"

"Why?" Ginny asked. She was sure now that she knew the answer, but was still waiting for Jamie to say it.

"I don't...I just don't like the idea of it!" Jamie replied, sitting tensely still on the couch. "He's my best friend; the least he could have done was tell me he was interested in someone. We've always shared everything, and...and...what if he kissed her? What if he-" Jamie's eyes widened, and her face flushed. She put her head in her hands again. "I didn't mean to say that," she mumbled miserably.

Ginny stood up and moved to sit beside Jamie, laying her hand on her back. "It's good that you said it. We're finally getting somewhere."

"But...Shay..."

"Shay might have gone out with Rowan for a short time, Jamie, but that doesn't mean anything. I mean, Harry and I both dated other people."

"Wait...what...no, I wasn't talking about that!" Jamie's face went from flushed to beet red in a second.

"Then what were you talking about?" Ginny asked.

"I don't...I...nothing."

Ginny and Hermione looked at each other knowingly for a moment. Ginny allowed for a few moments of silence, rubbing her hand comfortingly on Jamie's back. "Shay is in love with you, Jamie," she finally said quietly.

Jamie froze, and she stared up at Ginny, a look of shock on her face. "No. No, he...no!" She looked at Hermione for help, but Hermione only smiled sympathetically.

"I'm surprised you haven't-well, never mind. You can be as clueless about some things as Harry," Ginny said. "Jamie, I'm sure it's true. You should have seen him that night you were missing, when you ended up in the Forbidden Forest..."

"Ginny..." Jamie said pleadingly. "It can't be...I mean...how...how do you know?"

"Because I have eyes, daughter mine," Ginny said with a wink. "And I'm not as close to the situation as you are."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

Jamie opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, then stopped and shook her head wordlessly.

"You know what else?" Ginny lowered her voice to a whisper. "I think you're in love with him, too."

"I...can't..." Jamie pressed her fingers against her temples. "This is too complicated."

"Love often is," Hermione replied.

"I'm..." Jamie sighed heavily and leaned into Ginny's shoulder. "I am," she whispered. "I love him. Damn."

Ginny and Hermione both laughed. "Isn't loving someone typically a good thing?" Ginny asked.

"Well, yes...it's amazing, and...but...oh, this is complicated. This is...Shay. How am I supposed to talk to him about this? Don't answer that; it was a rhetorical question." Jamie buried her face in Ginny's shoulder. "I just...I don't feel ready for this! I need time! I need to think! I need to-"

"You need to calm down and breathe," Ginny said. "Realizing-or admitting-you love someone is a big step. You don't have to rush into anything, Jamie. You can take time to sort things out."

Jamie nodded into Ginny's shoulder. "I think I need to. I'm just...I'm not ready to talk to Shay about this yet. I need time," she repeated.

"Then take it," Ginny said simply.

Jamie was quiet for a long moment, and then she burst out desperately, "But...I'm only sixteen!"

"So am I," Hermione grinned.

"And I'm fifteen," Ginny added.

"And besides...wasn't Gabrielle sixteen when she married Neville?" Hermione asked.

Jamie groaned. "You two are awful!"

Ginny laughed, giving Jamie a hug. "But you love us anyway."

Chapter Twenty-Five ~ Pictures Worth a Thousand Words

"Wait, wait. If Will and Shay were following one lead, and you and Remus went to follow another one-where was Molly?" Hermione asked. She and Jamie were in the last stall of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, working on the Veritaserum potion, and Jamie had been filling the time telling Hermione the events that led up to finding the Time-Turner. Myrtle had become annoyed with them and disappeared down one of the toilets, for which Hermione was grateful.

"Oh, that's a story in itself. Hey, where did you get the ashwinder eggs?" Jamie asked as she picked them up, dropping them one at a time into the potion.

"One of the apothecaries on Diagon Alley had them; I ordered them by owl," Hermione said matter-of-factly. She carefully stirred the potion three times with a long silver spoon. "We're only missing a couple of ingredients, but we don't need to add them for a while. Neville said he was going into the Forbidden Forest after classes tomorrow. It needs to be added to the potion tomorrow night, and it needs to be fresh. Will's going to go with him."

"He is?" Jamie looked up, her forehead creased in a frown.

Hermione nodded, pulling the spoon out of the potion. "We thought it best if Neville didn't go alone. There. It needs to boil for exactly three hours, and it's nearly curfew. One of us will have to come down here with the invisibility cloak later. And that one of us will have to be me, since you're not supposed to be alone anywhere around the school, invisibility cloak or not."

"I'll ask Harry if we can borrow his," Jamie said. "Shay still has mine."

Hermione inclined her head at Jamie. "You haven't talked to him at all this week, have you?" Jamie had seemed rather restless and uneasy for a couple of days after her talk with Hermione and Ginny, but then she had suddenly seemed a lot calmer.

"I've said hello," Jamie protested. She sighed, leaning back against the wall of the stall. "You're right; I haven't talked to Shay-at least not about how I feel. I just...I feel like it's not the right time, Hermione. I did talk to Will about it the other day."

Ah. Will. That would explain why she was more peaceful-Will tended to have that effect on people.

"I know that might sound strange, but...well, I've always been able to talk to Will about everything that was bothering me. He's a great listener. And it really helped me sort some things out and come to peace with some things... Shay has so many things he's dealing with right now, and I just...I think he needs to sort some stuff out before I can bring...how I feel into it."

Hermione thought she understood. She, after all, had waited for several years for Ron to realize his feelings for her. He'd had to work some things out first, too. "And you're all right with this?"

Jamie nodded firmly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm good at waiting on Shay," she said with a slight grin. "I'll know when the time is right."

Hermione sat on the opposite side of the stall, watching the mixture to make sure it began to boil. "So-Molly?" she asked, bringing the conversation back to its original topic.

Jamie nodded. "Yes. You see, we were staying at Remus's house-well, his temporary house; he moved around a lot-and Will and Shay had gone to look for the Time-Turner. Not long after that, I had another lead on the Time-Turner, and I was discussing it with Remus when a woman showed up at his home. She and Remus went into another room and talked for quite a while, and then Remus came out and talked to me. He said she was an old friend of his, and she had a lot of important information that we needed. I told him I was going to follow my lead-I didn't have much time-and he insisted on coming with me. He arranged it so his friend-all I know is that her name was Nora-watched Molly. He said we could trust her completely, and...well, I trusted Remus."

Hermione heard hesitance in Jamie's voice, and she said, "But something happened."

Jamie nodded again. "After...when Remus died, I went back to his house to get Molly and to wait for Shay and Will. When I got there, the house was empty. I was already...well, very upset, to say the least, and I was frantic. I thought something had happened to Molly-maybe Nora had run off with her, or Death Eaters had attacked...I searched the house, and I found Molly asleep in a cupboard. Nora wasn't anywhere to be found. It was...strange. And I never saw her again-a month later, we traveled back in time." Jamie shrugged a little. "We were worried that Nora had done something to her, but Molly seemed fine. Well, as fine as she ever seems."

"Hmm. That's odd." The potion was boiling now, and Hermione looked down at the Muggle watch her parents had given her three Christmases ago. "I'm timing it now." She stood up. "Speaking of Molly, any news on how she's doing?"

Jamie shook her head, standing up as well. "You know as much as I do. Mrs. Weasley's last letter said she was doing fine-that was last week. She's always moved around a lot, so adjusting to being at Grimmauld Place wasn't that difficult for her. And she was used to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Gabrielle's been playing with her a lot. It's good for Molly." Jamie smiled fondly, and Hermione was again struck by the irony of this entire situation. It was still so strange to think that she and Ron had pretty much raised Jamie in the future, and that Jamie, Will, and Shay were actually raising Molly. She had a hard time imagining them changing diapers and making baby food, and helping Molly take her first steps and caring for her when she was ill. It was odd to think that Jamie had been the only 'mother' type of figure in Molly's life, and Jamie was still in such need of a mother herself.

As they headed out of the bathroom, Hermione groaned and stretched. "I'm hungry."

"We missed dinner because we were working on that," Jamie pointed out, jabbing her thumb over her shoulder toward the last stall. "Do you want to swing by the kitchens?"

"Well..." Hermione hated seeing the house-elves throwing themselves all over to try to make her happy. "I suppose it would be nice to see how Dobby and Winky are doing. Maybe we can get our own food..."

"Oh. My. Goodness." Hermione's gasp immediately caught Will's attention, and he looked up from the bowl of porridge he was eating. Hermione's eyes were glued to the front page of the Daily Prophet, which had just arrived via owl.

"What?" Will, Ginny, and Ron asked at the same time.

Hands shaking, Hermione set the paper on the table and wordlessly pointed. The Weasleys crowded their heads together to look at the paper, and Will's heart went cold at the huge headline. "YOU-KNOW-WHO TAKES AZKABAN."

"No," Will whispered. He scanned the article, and when he finished, he closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands. Yet another event had occurred early-most of the stuff that had happened this year had originally happened in his parents' seventh year, and now it was happening in their sixth. Will had come back hoping to prevent a lot of this from happening, and it constantly seemed he was making it worse.

He felt a hand on his arm, and looked up to see Hermione studying him in concern. "A long time ago you said the prisoners in Azkaban escaped."

"They did," Will said hollowly. "It just happened during your seventh year-like so many other things." He shook his head. "We changed everything."

"Morning!" Harry sat down next to Ginny and grabbed a piece of toast. "How-what's the matter?" He frowned at them, obviously seeing their shaken expressions.

Ginny slid the paper over in front of him. "Voldemort attacked Azkaban prison last night," she said quietly. "With his Death Eaters, hundreds of dementors and numerous giants. The Aurors couldn't hold them all off..." She trailed off, looking rather ill.

Harry grabbed the newspaper, his face going from shocked to angry to stony as he read it. Finally, looking equally sickened, he dropped the paper on the table. "Some of the Aurors were Kissed."

"And the prisoners were let loose. You know what that means?" Ron clenched his hands into fists. "Lucius Malfoy is out-and so are all the other Death Eaters. Again."

"The paper says that Voldemort is now using Azkaban as a prison for his own captives," Ginny whispered.

Neville chose that moment to join them. "Good morning!" he said cheerfully. He, too, saw their expressions, and he froze. "What's the matter?"

Ginny wordlessly pushed the paper over to him.

Will's mind was still on Azkaban when he trudged out to Care of Magical Creatures. He found himself standing beside Jamie, who looked even more exhausted than usual. Will nudged her shoulder with his own. "Late night?" he whispered.

Jamie nodded. "Well, not so much late as long. I was working on my...project with Hermione," she said carefully, in case anyone was listening. No one was; everybody was looking at the dozen-legged creature that Hagrid was holding aloft. "And then the news about Azkaban this morning...Will, I feel so responsible."

"Yeah. Me, too," Will whispered. No matter how responsible he felt, he knew there was nothing he could do to change what had happened. Life was so ironic sometimes. With a sigh, he tried to focus on the class. Now that Oscar was gone, and Charlie was staying in Romania until February, Hagrid was again teaching Care of Magical Creatures-they were learning about creatures called Jillywiggles. Ron was convinced they were another one of Hagrid's experiments, and possibly derived from the Billywig, given their name and the enormous stings they had. "Wasn't it bad enough with the Blast-Ended Skrewts?"

It was...interesting-not learning about Jillywiggles, but Hagrid's unorthodox way of teaching. It was certainly a change from all of the other professors. He was currently beaming at the class as he encouraged them to grab their own.

Will looked at the Jillywiggle, leery. He really had no desire whatsoever to touch it, but it looked like there really wasn't any way out of it. Or so he thought, until he heard his name being called. "Will!"

Will turned to see Tonks approaching. Her hair was short and purple today, all except for the ends, which were tinged blue. The entire class stopped and looked at her. "Pardon the interruption, Hagrid," Tonks said, grinning at the half-giant. "Professor Dumbledore wants to see Will."

"Righ'! You go ahead, then, Will!"

Exchanging a confused glance with Jamie, Will broke away from the Gryffindors and fell into step beside Tonks. "Aren't you teaching a class this morning?" he asked her curiously.

"I'm supposed to be teaching the first years, but Dumbledore asked me to come get you-something's going on that needs my attention-and yours," Tonks said.

"Um...do you know what?"

"No, but we'll find out in a minute."

It wasn't long before Will found himself standing beside Tonks in Dumbledore's office. "William, Nymphadora, thank you for coming. Please, have a seat." Dumbledore waved his wand, and two chairs appeared. "I apologize for interrupting your classes, but I was speaking with Molly Weasley-that is, your grandmother, William-and she brought up a matter of concern with your sister Molly."

Will froze, fear bred from a life of always waiting for the worst kicking in. "What happened?" Was she hurt? Had something gone horribly wrong? Was she-

"She's perfectly unharmed, William, but I think it would be best if you-and you, as well, Nymphadora-went to Grimmauld Place. I have a Portkey ready."

Will nodded silently. Was that all Dumbledore was going to tell them? He glanced at Tonks, who looked equally baffled. She shrugged a little. Dumbledore motioned to a cup-the Portkey, obviously. Will stepped up to it, and then suddenly realized-he was supposed to go into the Forbidden Forest with Neville that afternoon, and he had no idea how long he was going to be at Grimmauld Place. "Er, Professor? Would you mind telling Hermione that someone else needs to be with Neville?" Hermione would ensure that Neville didn't go into the forest alone.

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows slightly, but nodded. "I will."

Will again looked at Tonks. "On three?" she asked. "One, two, three..." They both touched the Portkey, and were yanked away from Dumbledore's office, appearing in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place. Just as Will was trying to orient himself, he heard Mrs. Weasley's familiar voice. "Will! Tonks!"

Will turned around just in time to meet Mrs. Weasley's tight hug. "Hello." He took a step back. "Where's Molly?"

"She's in her room, dear. I think it would be best if both of you came." Mrs. Weasley turned around and led the way through the kitchen. They went up the stairs to the room that Molly had shared with Hermione, Ginny, and Jamie over Christmas. "Gabrielle's been sharing the room with her since you left for Hogwarts," Mrs. Weasley explained, stopping in front of the closed bedroom door. She gave the door a worried glance before she pushed it open. "Molly, dear? Look who's here to see you!"

Will stepped into the bedroom, then stopped in shock. Molly was seated in the middle of the floor, surrounded by dozens of her drawings. Literally surrounded-they started at the edge of the first bed in the room and were strewn across the floor, across the beds, and on the trunks at the foot of two of the beds. She was working on another drawing, but at the sound of Mrs. Weasley's voice, she looked up. When she saw Will, she jumped to her feet and ran across the papers on the floor to hug his legs. Will picked her up and held her tightly. "Are these all your pictures, Molly?"

Molly inclined her head at him, and then her gaze landed on something behind him. Her eyes widened, and Will turned around to find her staring at Tonks. Molly twisted in Will's arms, and she reached out towards Tonks. A surprised expression crossed Tonks' face, but she held out her arms in return, and Molly practically dived out Will's grip to reach Tonks.

Even more surprised-Molly hadn't shown much interest in Tonks over the Christmas holidays; what had changed?-Will watched as Molly looked straight into Tonks eyes, then leaned her head forward so her forehead was touching Tonks'. She stayed that way for a moment, then wriggled out of Tonks arms and picked her way back across the room to sit in the middle of her pictures again.

"She's been drawing them almost nonstop for two days," Mrs. Weasley said quietly. "She's stopped to eat, but that's about it. We tried getting her to stop-we took away her paper first, but she started drawing on the walls of the bedroom; I removed those and took her crayons and markers away, but then she wouldn't come out of her room. She just sat in the corner, and when I tried to pick her up, she became as stiff as a board. Arthur and I finally decided to give her the paper and crayons back-we thought that perhaps she was trying to communicate something to us, and...well, here." Mrs. Weasley bent down and picked up a handful of papers, giving them to Will.

Will looked down at the first picture. Molly's images had become more distinguished-it was easy to tell that the drawing was of Will. He switched to the next drawing and frowned.

"That's me!" Tonks exclaimed, peering over his shoulder.

Will had to agree-he didn't know anyone else who had short pink hair, as Molly had drawn the person in the picture. He flipped to the next picture. "Who's that?" The image was that of a woman with very short black hair. He would have thought it was Jamie, except the hair was shorter than Jamie had ever had hers.

"I..." Tonks took the picture and frowned. Her face scrunched up in a look of concentration, and a moment later, her hair had changed from purple and blue to black. It also looked very much like the image in the drawing.

Will looked over at Molly, who was staring at Tonks with very wide eyes. She jumped to her feet, eyes still fixed on Tonks, and then-Will's heart almost stopped in shock-Molly smiled. Not a tiny smile; she gave a full-out grin that made her face light up and her eyes crinkle. She had Hermione's smile, Will realized, dazed. It was the first time he had seen her smile since she was seven months old; he hadn't even been sure she was still capable of smiling. When the grin faded from her face, Will swiveled to look at Tonks.

Tonks looked as bemused as Will felt. She pointed to her hair. "This is my normal hair color. I inherited the Black family hair-no pun intended."

"I've never seen you with black hair," Will said.

"I hardly ever use it," Tonks said with a shrug. "Not as fun as pink or blue," she added with a wink.

Will turned back around and saw that Molly was sitting down, once again working on her coloring. He carefully walked across Molly's drawings, looking at them as he went. Most of them were of Tonks, some with wild-colored hair, and some with black hair. A few had other people Molly knew, but the majority of them were of Tonks. In many of them, Molly had drawn herself standing with Tonks, and in just as many, she had drawn Tonks and Kreacher looking at each other, both with huge frowns on their faces.

Will stopped when he reached Molly, and he bent down beside her. "Hey, Molly," he said softly. "Can I see what you're working on?"

Molly stopped scribbling and glanced up at him, her hair blocking his view of the newest drawing. Will pushed her hair aside so he could see it, and sure enough, she was again drawing Tonks and Kreacher.

Will stood up and made his way back over to Mrs. Weasley and Tonks. "I have no idea why she's coloring you," he told Tonks.

"That makes two of us."

"You said she's been drawing them for two days," Will said to Mrs. Weasley. "What happened just before she started?" What had caused this?

"She started drawing all of this just after...well, you see, we used a Reciprocated Mirror at Christmas so that we would be able to have a record of your first Christmas here," Mrs. Weasley said. "And two days ago, I was watching it when Molly found me. She sat down with me and watched it for a few minutes, and then suddenly, she jumped up and ran upstairs-and she's been drawing ever since. Arthur and I went over the Mirror numerous times, but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. It did have Tonks in it; and it was shortly after Molly saw Tonks on the Mirror that she started...all this." Mrs. Weasley waved her hand around the room. "We finally decided it would probably be best if you two came to see her."

Molly stood to her feet and walked across the room, stopping directly in front of Tonks and handing the picture to her.

Tonks glanced down at it, her forehead creasing. "Do you mind if I take a look at the Mirror?" she asked Mrs. Weasley. "Maybe I'll find something that you missed-or didn't know to look for."

"I'd like to see it, too," Will said.

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Of course. It's downstairs; I'll go get it."

"What's wrong with Molly?" Jamie asked at lunchtime, as soon as Hermione had mentioned that Will had gone to Grimmauld Place.

"Dumbledore said she's not hurt; he said Will could explain when he came back-but that's probably not going to be this afternoon," Hermione said, looking around at the concerned faces of Ron, Ginny, Harry, and Neville. She was worried about Molly, too-she might not be hurt, but something had to be going on, or Dumbledore wouldn't have asked Will to go to Grimmauld Place.

Neville looked between Hermione and Jamie, a half-eaten sandwich in one hand. "It's all right. I'll go get the virish root by myself."

Jamie shook her head firmly. "The Forbidden Forest is dangerous."

"I've been in there before," Neville pointed out. "Numerous times, actually, and I know where I'm going."

"It'd probably still be safer to have someone with you, Neville," Ginny said. She sighed. "I'd go, except I have classes all afternoon."

"I'll go," Harry offered. "I don't have classes."

Hermione shook her head. "Harry, if you run into the centaurs-well, you and I barely made it out last time we were in there. The centaurs will kill us if they catch us-and the same goes for Jamie."

"And I have detention," Ron said, making a sour face.

Hermione looked at him with an expression of mingled exasperation and affection. "If you hadn't sabotaged Malfoy's potion yesterday-"

"He deserved it!" Ron retorted hotly. "Did you hear what he called Jamie? Besides, I didn't know that Snape put Reciprocated Mirrors in his classroom-he's a paranoid, sleazy-"

"Listen, it's really all right. I'll just borrow Harry's invisibility cloak-if that's all right with you, Harry," Neville put in.

Harry nodded. "'Course, Neville."

"Um..." Hermione raised her hand slightly, a habit from class that she did by instinct. "An invisibility cloak probably isn't going to make a difference. There are things in the forest that don't need eyes to find you."

Jamie nodded. "Like Fluffy. Have you seen the size of his noses?"

"Yes," Harry, Hermione, and Ron instantly replied. Hermione continued, "And there are things in there that can see through invisibility cloaks-centaurs, for one."

"Centaurs can see through invisibility cloaks?" Ron asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Not so much see through them as sense them," she said. "One of these days you're going read Hogwarts, a History, and then you won't have to ask me questions like that."

Neville shrugged. "All right, I won't use the cloak. It's really not that far in, anyway."

"Still." Jamie sighed. "When are you going?"

"As soon as History of Magic gets out," Neville stated.

Jamie nodded, a considering look on her face. She exchanged glances with Harry and Ginny, realizing that she wasn't the only one who saw Jamie's expression. She hoped that Jamie wasn't going to try to go with Neville anyway; she'd have to keep a close eye on her after History of Magic.

"Shay."

Shay was on his way out of the Great Hall after lunch when he heard his name whispered. He recognized Jamie's voice instantly and swiveled to see her leaning against the wall. She straightened up as he approached. "What're you doing?" he hissed. "We're-"

"Acquaintances," Jamie said dryly. "Nothing wrong with a couple of acquaintances talking in the entrance hall after lunch, is there?"

"Jamie, I'm going to see you in our Transfiguration tutorial later this afternoon," Shay pointed out.

"It can't wait."

Shay's attention sharpened, and he moved farther away from the doors to the Great Hall to avoid any students overhearing their conversation. "What happened? Hermione told me about Molly; did Will-"

Jamie shook her head. "It's nothing to do with Molly." She hesitated for a moment. "It's Neville."

Shay closed his eyes in exasperation. If Jamie gave him one more speech on his relationship with Neville, he was going to-

"He's going into the Forbidden Forest after our next class to get an ingredient for the potion," Jamie said hurriedly.

Shay didn't have to ask which potion. "And?"

"Will was going to go with him, but he's at headquarters. None of the rest of us can go; we're either on the centaurs' death list, or have detentions or classes."

Shay crossed his arms. "And? Jamie, if this is just another way to try to get me to talk to my father-"

"Well, that's not why I'm asking you, even though I think it might give you an opportunity. He's nice, Shay. I think you'd like him if you'd give him a chance. He reminds me a little bit of Will. This isn't about that, though. It's just about finding someone to go with Neville. He said he'd go alone, but..." Jamie trailed off, giving him a plaintive look that he hated, because Jamie and her pleading looks were one weak spot he had. They had gotten him into more trouble during his life than anything else.

"Neville's a big boy, Jamie. I'm sure he can handle himself," Shay said, starting to turn away.

"Shay, please. I just...I have a really bad feeling about Neville going in there alone."

Shay stopped and turned back around. "Jamie, how many times have you had bad feelings about things?"

"What's your point?"

"How many times have you been wrong?"

"How many times have I been right?" Jamie retorted. "Please, Shay-it's...it's the Forbidden Forest! It's a horrible place, and I don't like the thought of anyone going in there!"

"Just because you had a bad experience doesn't mean that anything's going to happen to Neville," Shay said, making a stab at rationality. Not that Jamie was very big on rationality, but it was worth a try.

Jamie didn't say anything; she just continued to look at him beseechingly.

"Oh, for-" Shay let out a short breath. "I've got to be in Muggle Studies in three minutes, Jamie, and if I'm not mistaken, you have History of Magic." He swiveled and walked away from her, feeling thoroughly rumpled. It had not been a good week. If Draco had received a package in the mail, Shay certainly hadn't seen it. It was either too small to be noticeable, or it had been delivered to him privately; perhaps his owl had given it to him in his dorm. He had kept an eye on the Marauder's Map when he could, but had seen no suspicious activity on Draco's part. Then there was Jamie; she seemed to be acting normally now, but the first half of the week, he had caught her shooting him odd, almost apprehensive looks, and she had acted a bit awkward during the brief periods he saw her. Then, of course, there was the information that Azkaban was in Voldemort's possession, followed by the news that something was going on with Molly. Despite what anyone might believe, he loved Molly. She was a good kid, and he had certainly done his share in taking care of her the past couple of years. He didn't like worrying, especially about the people he cared about.

And now Jamie was giving him nonsense about Neville and the Forbidden Forest. Shay snorted to himself as he sank into a seat at Muggle Studies. He had been right; Neville was capable of taking care of himself-he had come this far, hadn't he? Jamie was the only one who was worried.

Despite being convinced that he was right, Shay had a hard time concentrating during Muggle Studies-they were learning about television sets, which Shay found rather pointless anyway.

By the end of Muggle Studies, Shay had convinced himself to go with Neville into the Forbidden Forest. He told himself it wasn't because he wanted anything to do with Neville-he just needed to make sure that Neville got the job done; they needed the Veritaserum, and that depended on getting the right ingredient from the forest.

And it had nothing to do with the fact that Jamie had asked him to do it.

It wasn't hard to find Neville after their afternoon classes let out; he caught him heading out onto the grounds. "I'm going with you to the Forest," he stated, his tone of voice not giving Neville any room for argument.

Neville opened his mouth-to argue, perhaps-but then gave Shay a considering frown and nodded. "All right. I was just heading there now."

"I know." Shay fell into step with Neville as they walked on a path through the snow. The silence was heavy and awkward, and Shay was beginning to regret his decision. A group of third years raced past them to start a snowball fight. As soon as they passed them, Neville abruptly started speaking.

"Er, Shay..." Neville heaved a sigh, keeping his eyes focused straight ahead. "Look. I know you don't like me, and that's all right. I don't blame you at all; I know what its like to grow up without parents." He took a deep breath and looked Shay square in the eye. "There have been times when I was mad at my parents, too, you know, even though I know that it's not their fault they're in St. Mungo's..." he trailed off and shook his head. "My point is, if it makes you feel better to be angry at me...well, whatever you have to do." Neville shrugged. "And-"

Shay felt the familiar bubble of anger welling up inside of him. "And what? You think you know me?" he asked forcefully. He knew about Neville's parents' fate, of course; he had always tried not to think too much about it. It always made him think of Molly, and the way the Death Eaters had tortured her...

"No," Neville said honestly. "I don't know you at all." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "I just-"

"Look, I didn't come out here for a pep talk," Shay said edgily. He was already mentally cursing himself for coming out here. What had he been thinking? He should never have listened to Jamie...this was just weird. Too weird. He didn't have anything to say to Neville. What did they have in common? Nothing, except genetics. "I know Will and Jamie might have got all nice and chummy with their parents' past selves, but I'm not Will or Jamie."

"I know that," Neville said quietly.

"Good." Shay was seriously tempted to turn around and go back to the school, but he figured that would make him look like an idiot. Besides, he and Neville had just passed Hagrid's hut and the snow here was unbroken by numerous footsteps. Jaw knotted, Shay plunged through the snow, creating a path to the Forest. Hagrid's hut blocked them from the vision of anyone who might be out on the grounds.

They entered the Forbidden Forest, wands in hand. Shay followed Neville as he made a certain path through the trees and peered around cautiously. Almost immediately, the trees became so thick that there was only a sprinkling of snow on the ground, and pretty soon, there was no snow at all.

After about ten minutes of walking, Neville suddenly stopped and stooped down. "Here's a virish plant." He motioned a plant with jagged pink-tinged leaves. "The leaves are poisonous-even to the touch. The root isn't, though." He pulled his wand out and pointed it at the plant. "Extracto."

The ground quivered, and with a spray of dirt, the entire plant came out of the ground. The root was perfectly round. Neville made a complicated jabbing motion with his wand. The root and leaves neatly separated themselves, and Neville pulled out a piece of cloth, carefully wrapping the root in it and tucking it into his robe pocket.

Shay crossed his arms. "Done?"

"Yes." Neville stood up and turned around. Shay had time to notice an expression of horror on Neville's face an instant before Neville suddenly threw himself at Shay, knocking him to the ground.

Shay barely managed to avoid slamming his head on the ground, but his left arm-his wand arm-twisted under him, trapping his wand underneath him. He shoved Neville off of him and rolled over just in time to see a huge gray monster rushing at them. He had a brief impression of a mixture of legs, suckers, and a huge sting before a blast of fire rushed over his head and into the trees. He wondered vaguely if any of the trees would catch fire, but his attention was focused on the...thing nearing his head. He aimed his wand at it. "Stupefy!"

The curse simply bounced off the creature, and Shay rolled out of the way just in time to avoid its massive sting. The creature whirled, following Shay's movements. Shay scrambled to his feet in time to see Neville jump headlong between Shay and the creature, just as the sting came down again. It slammed into Neville's shoulder, knocking him flat on his back on top of Shay's legs.

Shay caught a glimpse of a soft underbelly, and again pointed his wand at it. "Stupefy!"

The creature keeled over and hit the ground with a crash. Shay pulled his legs out from under Neville's weight, noticing in the back of his mind that none of the trees were on fire. Must be magically protected from that sort of thing. He leaned forward to look at him. Blood was dripping down onto the ground, and though Shay couldn't see anything on Neville's black robes, he could tell that the left side of his clothing was wet.

"Shay," Neville gasped, his face stark white. "I...think I'm going to..." His eyes drifted closed, and his body went limp.

Chapter Twenty-Six ~ Shay and Jamie

Jamie watched Shay leave the entrance hall, then hurried across the room to meet up with Hermione, who had been waiting for her. She wasn't sure if Shay would go with Neville, but she hoped that he would.

They were several minutes late for History of Magic, but Ron and Harry (both of whom wore rather glazed looks as they listened to Professor Binns' droning) said they hadn't missed much, and Professor Binns didn't even notice they were late. Jamie sat in her seat, her mind wandering back to Shay. It was almost impossible to get him off her mind. She was all right until she actually saw him, and that happened with such frequency that it was usually pointless to try not to think about him. Her conversation with Will the other night had eased her mind for a time, but now she was back to questioning her decision not to tell Shay how she felt about him.

Will, being Will, had approached her because he had noticed she wasn't doing so well. "Jamie? Do you want to talk"

Jamie glanced over at Will, who gazed back solemnly. "About what?"

"Why you're acting so oddly."

"I'm...well...it's a long story."

"I have a long time to listen."

And so Jamie had found herself spilling her feelings for Shay to her attentive cousin. "And...Will, I don't know what to do! I want so much to tell him."

"Then why don't you?"

"I don't know! A lot of reasons, the first being that it's Shay. I just...well, he's still my best friend. I don't want to ruin that. What if I tell him and..." Jamie hesitated, not sure how to put it to words. "Shay's afraid of love," she finally said. She looked up at Willl, who didn't say anything, but was studying her silently. "I've known that he's afraid of it for a long time, but Shay'll pretend he's not afraid of anything."

"What do you think Shay would do if you told him that you loved him?" Will asked.

"I..." Jamie had considered this; it was part of what was holding her back from saying anything. "He might accept it and reciprocate...but he would probably try to deny it first. He would put on a mask and hide everything he felt so he wouldn't have to deal with it." She sighed heavily and looked at Will. "He's had so many issues with love, Will...you and I have both seen it. He has trouble accepting it."

Will nodded.

"I just...I feel like Shay has so much he's dealing with...and this is all so new to me...I'm still a bit scared of my feelings, to tell the truth."

"Jamie," Will said carefully, "I have no doubt that Shay loves you as much as you love him. I also think that if anyone can get through to him, it's you. But only you can know when it's the right time to tell Shay. I can't do that for you."

Jamie closed her eyes. She had known that Will would say something like that. He wasn't much for giving outright answers, but for directing someone into finding the answers on their own. "If I've learned anything during my life, it's that we can't depend on tomorrow being there. Today is all we have. I would regret it forever if something happened and Shay never found out how I feel."

"You've always been that way," Will said, a slight smile on his face. "Seize the moment-say what's on your mind-that's Jamie Potter for you."

Jamie returned the smile, though hers was a bit more troubled. "I know. Shay always said that sometimes I don't know when to shut up."

"But?"

"But this is too important to me to ruin it by trying to convince Shay that it's right. I know it's right-I've never been so sure of anything in my life. I just...Will, all of Shay's troubles with love started with his mum's death-and I don't know if he can accept it until he mends things with his father."

Jamie sighed to herself. That was the conversation in which she had convinced herself to wait to talk to Shay, but now she was questioning that decision. Maybe Shay would go into the forest with Neville. Maybe some sort of progress would be made...

Even so, how long was she going to wait before she told Shay that she loved him? Maybe she was going about this all wrong. Maybe Shay would be able to accept her love, and that could be a starting point. She was waiting for Neville to be the starting point...and maybe it wasn't going to work that way. Maybe that's what Will was trying to get her to realize when he told her that if anyone could get through to Shay, it was her.

She wished Will was here-she could have used some encouragement.

The class crawled along even slower than usual, and that was saying something. Jamie mulled things over in her head all through the class, and by the end of it, she had decided that regardless of anything, she would tell Shay how she felt about him tonight.

When class finally ended, Neville was the first to stand up. "Wish me luck."

"Luck, mate," Ron said, clapping a hand on Neville's shoulder. "Wish me luck. Snape's sure to find a torturous way for me to spend my detention."

Neville winced sympathetically. "Luck."

Jamie went back to Gryffindor Tower with Ron, Harry, and Hermione to wait for Neville's return. Jamie sat perfectly still on one of the chairs in Gryffindor Tower and wound her fingers together. Hermione pulled out parchment, quills, and An Advanced Guide to Transfiguration so she could finish her essay. Ron and Harry engaged in a game of chess, and Jamie eventually joined Hermione with homework of her own. They hadn't been in the common room for more than half an hour when Dennis Creevey came running into the Tower, breathing hard, a frantic look on his face. "Harry! Neville's hurt!"

All four of them immediately jumped to their feet. "What?" Hermione gasped.

"How?" Ron asked.

"I...don't know," Dennis gasped. "I was outside...snowball fight...and that Slytherin-Shay, I think-went running up to the castle, levitating Neville in front of him. Neville was knocked out and dripping blood."

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Jamie looked at each other. "Hospital wing," Harry said.

Five minutes later, they entered the hospital wing to find Madam Pomfrey running hurriedly toward a bed surrounded by a curtain, which Jamie could only assume Neville was behind. Shay was standing by the door to the infirmary, tense and completely pale. "Shay! What happened?" Jamie asked.

"We were attacked when we left the forest," Shay said in a very clipped voice. Jamie knew that the tone in his voice meant that he was greatly shaken. "I don't know what it was that attacked us-it was something huge, with a hard gray shell and a huge sting, and fire shot-"

"Blast-Ended Skrewt," Ron said immediately, his face dark.

Jamie looked at him in disbelief. "Those creatures you said Hagrid created?"

"Yes," Harry said shortly. "They're awful."

"Is Hagrid insane?" Jamie asked, her voice rising slightly. "Does he just make a point to collect dangerous creatures and let them loose in the Forbidden Forest?"

Ron, Harry, and Hermione exchanged glances. Jamie threw up her hands in frustration and whirled back to Shay. "So what happened to Neville?"

Shay crossed his arms, looking even tenser, if that was possible. "He-" Shay faltered for a moment, and then met Jamie's eyes squarely. "He got stung saving my life." He glared at the rest of them, as if daring them to comment.

Oh. Jamie stared at Shay, not quite sure what to say. She could only imagine the thoughts that must be running through his mind right now.

Hermione quickly asked, "Will he be all right?"

"I don't know."

Hermione bit her lip, and Harry's face darkened. "After everything we've been through...I can't believe that Neville might actually die...especially because of a Blast-Ended Skrewt..."

Jamie walked over to Shay. "I'll stay with you." Shay narrowed his eyes at her for a moment, but she continued to stare at him, unblinking.

Madam Pomfrey hurried out from behind the curtain and saw them standing by the door. "Out! Out, out, out!" she snapped as she ran to a cupboard.

Arms still crossed, Shay looked fiercely at Madam Pomfrey, and Jamie muttered, "I'm not going anywhere."

Madam Pomfrey rushed back behind the sheet, calling over her shoulder. "OUT!"

Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged glances, and Hermione motioned Ron and Harry with her head. "Shay probably needs a few minutes," Jamie heard her whisper to Harry and Ron. The three of them exited the infirmary, leaving Shay and Jamie alone.

He might die, Shay thought numbly, his gaze fixed on the curtain around Neville's hospital bed. He could feel Jamie looking at him, but he pointedly avoided her gaze. She finally sighed and slid down to lean against the wall, not speaking. Shay was glad for the silence. The last half hour had been horrible. He had levitated Neville out of the Forbidden Forest as quickly as possible, not even sure when he reached the hospital wing that Neville was still alive. Madam Pomfrey hadn't asked any questions; she had simply whipped Neville over to a hospital bed and begun working frantically. Shay supposed Neville must be alive, or Madam Pomfrey wouldn't be doing...whatever it was she was doing.

Shay was still struggling with the idea that Neville had actually jumped in front of that...Blast-Ended Skrewt to save his life. What had possessed him? Shay should be the one on the hospital bed right now. He had no idea what would have happened had he not gone into the forest with Neville. Would Neville still have been attacked, and died without anyone knowing what happened? Had Shay's presence diverted the skrewt's attention? He had no idea-not that it mattered. The fact still remained that Neville could die.

Shay had been struck by a sudden epiphany as he had stared down at Neville's unconscious body in the Forbidden Forest. This is how my father died. Perhaps not the same exact death, but he had just seen Neville perform the same sort of selfless act that had gotten him killed in Shay's own timeline. Then, he had put himself between Death Eaters and a group of Muggles, and he been killed. And just now, he had jumped in front of a skrewt to protect someone that he didn't know. Granted, Neville knew that Shay was his son in the future, but he didn't know Shay-Neville had admitted that himself. He had simply reacted. Had it been that way when he had been killed defending the Muggles? Had it been instinct-an instinct to guard and protect-that had sent Neville Longbottom to his death in the future?

Shay sighed heavily, his eyes fixed on the curtains. If he doesn't die, I'll...His thought was interrupted when Jamie tugged on his hand. He stared down at her for a moment, and then slid down to sit beside her. She kept hold of his hand even after he was seated. "I'm sorry, Shay," she said quietly. "If I hadn't asked you to go to the forest..."

"Then he might be dead right now," Shay said shortly. "I..." He wasn't even sure what to say. He shook his head and lapsed into silence again. He heard an echo of Jamie's voice in his mind; something she had said to him just after Christmas. "We have a second chance. Can't you see what that means?... Then give it a chance, Shay. Please. Just give it a chance." He had never given Neville a chance, and now...that second chance might be gone, and he wasn't going to get a third one.

Shay sighed again and looked down at his and Jamie's joined hands, then winced and looked away. This talk about second chances was making him rethink certain aspects of his life-and not just Neville's part in it. He could quite clearly remember the moment he had realized-really realized; the feelings had been there for a while, but he had refused to admit them to himself-that he was in love with Jamie. It had been that night she had been missing, just before Christmas. He had never been more relieved in his life when Charlie had carried her up to the hospital wing with a concussion and a broken ankle. He hadn't told Jamie about it; partly, he knew, because he really was terrible with discussing his feelings, and the thought of discussing these feelings was incredibly discomforting.

There had been more to it than that, but he hadn't known for sure what was keeping him back until this very moment. He was now seeing that the other reason he hadn't told her was because of fear-all he had ever seen of love ended in pain. His parents, Jamie's parents, and even Will's parents-they had loved each other more than anyone, but they had been killed in the end. Jamie's conversation with him at Christmas hadn't helped much, either-all her talk about how death came to everyone, but how he couldn't let that stand in the way of living and friendship and loving. She had said that life was a risk, but one worth taking.

He didn't want to hurt Jamie. That was the biggest part of it. Whenever he thought of 'love,' he thought of his mother, and he didn't ever want Jamie to go through the kind of pain his mother had.

But now... Shay looked over at the curtains hiding Neville, feeing very troubled and not liking feeling very troubled. What was love, really? Was it knowing someone and seeing the beauty inside of them? Was it not caring about their imperfections? Was it doing anything for them? Dying for them, if need be? What had made his mother fall in love with his father? What had made Shay fall in love with Jamie? Did she love him in return? Did he want her to? Yes...but the sensible part of his mind just wanted to keep her safe.

And love wasn't safe.

All of these thoughts were new and uncomfortable, and his mind was full enough with thoughts of Neville. He pulled himself out of this train of thought and glanced back down at their hands. "If somebody else comes in here..."

"Hermione, Harry, and Ron are standing right outside. We'll have warning," Jamie said quietly, not releasing his hand.

Shay leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes. "Jamie," he said, without opening his eyes.

"Mmm?"

"My father would have died for my mother." Shay could almost feel Jamie's gaze on him. "He loved her."

"I know."

Shay nodded and fell into silence again. The minutes seemed to tick by, and he finally opened his eyes when he heard Madam Pomfrey's tired voice. "I thought I told you to get out."

"Is Neville-" Shay and Jamie began.

"He'll live," Madam Pomfrey said shortly. She pinned them with her glare. "Barely. You got him here just in time, and you can be sure I will be getting a full explanation out of you very shortly, Mr. Long."

"But...he's going to be all right?" Jamie asked uncertainly, as if unable to believe what she had heard.

"Yes," Madam Pomfrey said crossly. "Now out! It will take some time for him to recover! I will certainly be talking to you later, and you can be sure Professor Dumbledore will hear about this!"

Relief spilled over Shay-Neville was not going to die. Not today. Jamie grinned at him and squeezed his hand tightly. "He's all right!"

"Out!" Madam Pomfrey demanded.

Ginny finished her Muggle studies class and headed back toward Gryffindor Tower. She was crossing through the entrance hall when she realized Malfoy was standing at the bottom of the stairs, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle. When he saw her, a huge smirk crossed his face. "Oi! Weasley! If you're looking for Longbottom, you're not going to find him in your tower."

Ginny's eyes narrowed. "What did you do?"

"Oh, I didn't do anything. It seems poor Longbottom has accidents wherever he goes; I heard this one might be life threatening. Oh, well. Can't say it would be a loss. We'd sure go through a lot less cauldrons in Potions."

Ginny's fingers itched to grab her wand, but she held her hands steady. The best way to encourage Malfoy was to react, and she wouldn't give him that satisfaction. "I'm sure you don't know what you're talking about, Malfoy," she said coolly. She continued toward the stairs, determined to walk past him without a second glance.

Malfoy stepped in front of the stairs, bumping into her and effectively blocking her path. Ginny stopped and put her hands on her hips. "Don't you have something better to do than stalk fifth years?"

Malfoy leaned forward, his gray eyes narrowing slightly. "Oh, but you're a special case, aren't you?"

"You're an idiot, Malfoy." Ginny said calmly. "I doubt even you have any idea what you're talking about."

Malfoy's eyes narrowed even more, and he lowered his voice to a hiss. "I would feel sorry for you if I didn't know that you deserve it."

Ginny drew a deep breath and stared hard at Malfoy. "I'm going upstairs now. If you touch me, I will give you the worst Bat-Bogey Hex within my power to give."

Malfoy gave her a cold smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Too bad your family didn't choose the right side." His eyes narrowed and he studied her sardonically. "You have the opportunity to be part of something only a select few can be part of. You're a pure-blood, no matter how much you hang around with filth like Potter and Granger." His eyes locked on Ginny, and she felt a wave of revulsion. How could anyone be so narrow-minded? "Just keep that in mind. You could always...change your mind."

Ginny didn't even bother to reply. She shouldered past Malfoy and continued up the stairs, feeling a bit disturbed by the encounter. She knew very well that Malfoy had been communicating with Death Eaters-what, exactly, did he know? They needed the Veritaserum more now than ever, but it was going to be quite a while before it was finished. And what was this business about Neville?

When she reached Gryffindor Tower, she found out about Neville, at least. The whole tower was abuzz with news that Neville had been badly hurt and bleeding, and rumors abounded-some people were saying a Slytherin had attacked him; others saying a Slytherin had helped him. Ginny didn't stay around to hear much; she simply whirled and headed toward the infirmary. She got there only to find out that Neville was going to be fine, and it wasn't long before she heard the whole story. She waited around the infirmary for a while, but when it became clear that Madam Pomfrey wasn't going to let any of them see Neville until later, they all headed off for dinner.

It wasn't until Ginny sat down that she realized there was a piece of parchment in her pocket; she could hear it crinkle. Frowning, she pulled it out and unfolded it. It was a note in unfamiliar handwriting that read, 'Your time to choose the right side is running out.' Her eyes narrowed as she looked at it. Malfoy must have stuck it in her pocket when she bumped into him on the stairs.

"Ginny? What's that?" Before Ginny could move the note away, Harry had peered over her arm and read it. He plucked it out of her fingers, his face darkening. "Who gave you this?"

"Malfoy, I think."

Harry glared across the hall to where Malfoy was seated at the Slytherin table. "Be careful, Ginny."

"I am."

Hermione still managed to hold a Transfiguration tutorial that evening, though Will was still at Grimmauld Place. At the end of the lesson, Shay was about to follow Hermione out the door, but Jamie's voice stopped him. "Shay." She looked at once very nervous-he could tell because she was interlacing her fingers together-and very pensive. "There's something I want-I need-to tell you."

Shay swung around, immediately alert. "What?"

"It's just...well, not just...I can't..."

It wasn't all that characteristic of Jamie to stammer when she spoke to him, which concerned him even more. "Jamie, what?"

Jamie looked at him helplessly for a moment. "I love you."

Shay hadn't known what he had expected-Jamie telling him about something or someone bothering her, maybe-certainly something other than what she had said. It wasn't the first time Jamie had told him she loved him, but it had always been in friendship. This time, he didn't think she meant it that way. At all. "What?"

Jamie slowly pulled her fingers apart and held her hands at her sides. "I love you," she repeated, her voice a bit stronger. "I realized it a week ago, and I wanted to tell you, but then decided to wait, and then changed my mind-I've always been honest with you and I just needed...I just needed to tell you."

Shay continued to stare at her. Was it coincidental that he had just been thinking about this very subject earlier? He had to give it to her-sometimes she had uncanny timing.

He needed to tell her that he loved her, too. How difficult was it to say? "And you picked now to tell me?" Difficult, apparently.

Jamie's eyes flashed with uncertainty. "I know it's not the-best time, but I..." She trailed off and searched his eyes, and he could see a mixture of confusion, hope, and trepidation there.

"Jamie..." I love you. Damn it, Shay, you owe her the truth. He kept his eyes on Jamie's, knowing that she deserved that, but that she also deserved more than the life she had grown up with. Unless Voldemort was defeated, he couldn't offer that. He would only make things worse for her-she should know that. He opened his mouth to tell her as much, but what came out was, "You should go."

Jamie's forehead creased. "Shay-"

"You don't know what you're talking about, Jamie. You should go."

"Shay, don't push me away! I do know what I'm talking about-it's all I've thought about this week!"

"Jamie!" Shay's voice rose, and they locked gazes.

"Shay, please, just tell me. Tell me you don't love me and I'll...I'll leave it alone."

Shay's jaw tightened, but he remained silent, unable to say those words, unable to lie to her.

An expression of relief passed over Jamie's face, and then she clenched her hands into fists. "This...this isn't something that I can force on you-you can choose to accept my love or you can choose to... refuse it. But please, please, please don't push me away," she whispered. She swallowed. "I'll leave you alone. This is in your hands now." She gave him one last, long look and slipped out of the room.

Shay stood there for several long moments, and then, feeling inexplicably angry and frustrated, he stormed back to the Slytherin common room, avoiding everyone until he reached his dormitory. It was thankfully empty, and Shay stayed there for a long while. Normally, he would have been able to successfully put his turmoil out of his mind, locking it into the 'do not touch' part of his brain, but Jamie...he couldn't do that with matters concerning Jamie. He had never been able to ignore her, or her words or feelings. It bothered him further when he found himself thinking, Jamie would tell me- He had never realized how much he depended on her. Even when she wasn't around, he always knew what she would say to him.

And right now, she would tell him he was an idiot.

It wasn't very long before Blaise came into the dormitory. Upon seeing Shay, he frowned. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

Blaise rolled his eyes good-naturedly and threw his book bag on his bed. "Fine."

Shay sighed and rolled his own eyes. He had become friends enough with Blaise to discuss some things with him-and Blaise never probed. "All right, fine. You and Samantha have been dating for what-two years?"

"Yes." Blaise sat on his bed and looked at Shay. "So this is about a girl."

"In a way." Yes, but Shay didn't want to talk about the details of it.

"It's about time. I was wondering if you'd be a bachelor forever. So which girl has finally won you over?"

"It's not like that. Well, not..." Not unless he decided to move forward. "Is it worth it?"

"Is what worth it? Samantha?" Blaise asked, eyebrow raised.

"Well..."

"Love?" Blaise ventured.

It sounded strange to Shay, especially coming from Blaise, but yes, that was what he meant. "I guess."

Blaise studied him thoughtfully. "Love is...well, Samantha once told me 'love is what we make of it.' At first I didn't know what she meant, but I think I understand now." He frowned and looked off to the side, as if remembering something, and then he considered Shay for a long moment. "My father worked for Voldemort, you know."

Shay shook his head. "I didn't know." Not that it was surprising...a great many of the Slytherin students' parents had worked-or still worked-for Voldemort.

"Some of the Slytherins know about it, but...it's not something I like to talk about, for obvious reasons." Blaise sighed heavily. "Even after Voldemort's fall fifteen years ago, my father was heavily into the Dark Arts. My mother hated it, and they had a lot of fights about it. When I was nine, and my little sister was three, she finally went to the Magical Law Enforcement to turn him in. Before he was arrested, he found out that my mother had betrayed him. He murdered her."

Shay was stunned into silence. While his parents had both been killed, they had been on the right side. He thought about how much he hated Draco for killing his mother...what would it have been like for Blaise to have his own father commit such an act?

"He was put in Azkaban-he died there when I was thirteen, and my sister was seven. It was around that time that Samantha started trying to befriend me. She'd had a horrible family situation, too, but had learned to move past it. By the time my fourth year rolled around, I had decided that I needed to take a stand against things like that. That's when I was moved into this dormitory, and it was also the same time I started dating Samantha. Up until then, I hadn't wanted anything to do with love of any sort. It had brought my parents and Samantha's parents nothing but grief, but...well, what's life if we don't take chances?"

That was what Jamie had said, albeit in different words. Shay nodded once. "Yeah."

"Well, look at that. I made a speech. Did it help at all?" Blaise asked wryly.

Shay nodded again, his mind full of thoughts. "Yeah. I think it did."

Several hours after leaving Shay in the Transfiguration classroom, Jamie was attempting to concentrate on putting the finishing touches on her Astronomy homework. It wasn't going well; she kept thinking about Shay and the look on his face when she had told him she loved him. She knew now, really knew, that Shay loved her. She just wasn't sure when he would ever admit it.

She managed to get her homework completed, and at midnight, headed up to the Astronomy Tower with the rest of the sixth years. She quickly spotted Shay, already at his telescope, but he didn't glance her way. She stopped in front of her own telescope. She was sharing with Harry this evening, as Will was at Grimmauld Place and Neville was in the infirmary.

The lesson seemed longer than usual tonight, and Jamie noticed Shay looking at her several times during the class. When it was over, he wandered over casually in the throng of students leaving the Tower. "Mind holding back a minute, Jamie?" he asked in a low voice.

Jamie looked over at Harry, who shrugged. "I'll wait inside to walk you back to Gryffindor Tower."

Jamie and Shay waited until everyone had left the Astronomy Tower, and then Jamie turned to Shay, searching his face. "So..."

"So..." Shay crossed his arms and sighed heavily, turning his eyes up to the clear night sky. Jamie waited, but Shay seemed to be at a loss for words. Finally, he said, "This is a lot harder than I... Look." Shay's gaze turned back down to her. He definitely looked uncomfortable, though Jamie doubted most people would have been able to tell. "I just wanted to tell you...I thought about what you said."

"And?"

"And...you might have a point about some things."

"Shay."

Shay gazed at her, unblinking. "I...love you, Jamie," he finally said. He sighed again, but this one sounded much more relieved. "I love you. I've always loved you. You're the voice in my head; did you know that? Always there, telling me when I'm being an arse." He closed his eyes for a moment, and then opened them again. "I don't ever want to lose you, but I know it's a possibility. For now, though...damn, I'm making a mess of this."

Jamie tried to speak, but her throat was too tight with emotion to manage it. She simply shook her head, tears stinging her eyes.

"I guess what I'm saying is..." Shay stopped for a moment. "Well...I just don't want to waste anymore time-or chances."

Jamie swallowed hard, tears spilling down her cheeks. She stepped up to Shay and looked searchingly into his eyes. He stared back, unblinking. As if drawn by an invisible string, they slowly leaned toward each other, and their mouths tentatively touched. The next thing Jamie knew, Shay's arms were around her and the kiss was no longer tentative. It was the most wonderful and momentous instant of Jamie's life, and she didn't want it to end.

However, the sound of Harry clearing his throat brought them back to reality and startled them apart. Jamie glanced over at Harry. He was staring at them as if he had never seen them before. "Er...I just thought you should know Professor Sinistra is coming back up the stairs."

Jamie reluctantly pulled away from Shay and met his eyes. "Um..."

"Get going," Shay nodded toward Harry.

Jamie hesitated a moment, then pulled her eyes away from Shay and joined up with Harry, who was still staring at her. As they headed down the stairs, passing Professor Sinistra, Jamie knew that her face was beet red. Blasted Weasley complexion. Out of all the things she had inherited from the Weasleys, why did it have to be that?

They reached the bottom of the Tower and headed down the hallway. "So..." Harry said awkwardly. He cleared his throat. "You and Shay."

Jamie felt herself flushing again, but she nodded. "Yes."

"Ginny said something might happen...between you...but I didn't expect to..." Harry trailed off and coughed. "This is...new?"

"Yes."

"Ah. And he...er...makes you happy?"

"Yes." Jamie gave Harry a sideways glance, a warm feeling inside of her. Harry was concerned for her well-being, even if he wasn't going to say it outright. "It's all right," she told him.

Harry gave her a long look, and then nodded. He fell silent for a minute, and then he said, "Good. That's...good."

Chapter Twenty-Seven ~ Divide and Conquer

Will and Tonks returned from Grimmauld Place on Saturday, and Will explained the situation with Molly to the others. He said that he and Tonks had gone over the Reciprocated Mirror several times, and neither of them had noticed anything out of the ordinary on it. Almost as soon as Tonks and Will appeared at Grimmauld Place, Molly stopped coloring. Will was convinced she had only been doing it to get their attention, for some reason that was still unknown. Mrs. Weasley continued to send letters assuring them that Molly again seemed fine, and was only drawing occasional pictures, as was usual for her.

It took Neville two weeks to recover from his wound; his friends took turns taking notes in his classes and bringing him homework so he wouldn't fall behind. Dumbledore gave both Neville and Shay a very stern lecture on the dangers of going into the Forbidden Forest; Professor Snape sentenced Shay with a detention and twenty points taken from Slytherin, and Professor McGonagall took thirty points from Gryffindor, but didn't give Neville a detention-she said being stung by a Blast-Ended Skrewt was punishment enough.

Shay and Jamie's relationship continued to develop. Publicly, they were supposedly building a friendship. It wasn't hard to do-they had three classes together, plus Hogwarts Coalition meetings, and many Gryffindors and Slytherins had become friends. However, by the first week of February, word had spread through the school that famous Jamie Potter and foreign exchange student Shay Long were dating.

Shay had also begun a very tentative friendship with Neville. Jamie was right-Neville was a bit like Will, at least as far as his attitude and his patience. It was easy to see how the two of them had become friends. It wasn't an easy thing for Shay, but he worked at it. Over the course of the two weeks Neville was in the infirmary, he slowly came to realize that he forgave his father. He finally, truly forgave him, and it was as if a burden had been released. It was amazing, and Shay finally felt like he was able to find some sort of peace in his life. He even thanked Neville for saving his life in the forest, and Neville smiled at him. "You saved mine, too," he pointed out.

Shay's thoughts, meanwhile, became occupied with other things. Draco had failed to meet with the Death Eaters since the conversation in which they had talked about a package. Shay was convinced Draco had either received the package, or would soon be receiving it. There had obviously been some correspondence canceling or postponing further fireplace meetings. Shay even snuck up to the sixth year dormitory while Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle were out, but couldn't find anything suspicious. Of course, if Draco was smart, he wouldn't do anything openly in his dormitory, since Snape had put Reciprocated Mirrors in it.

It looked more and more like they were going to have to rely on the Veritaserum to get any answers. Hermione and Jamie assured everyone that the Veritaserum was coming along nicely; they had managed to add the virish root that Neville had collected in time, and they were now missing only one hard-to-find ingredient. They finally owled Fred and George Weasley about it, and were told the twins would try to get their hands on it. Given that the last ingredient came in, Hermione and Jamie estimated that the potion would be ready around Valentine's Day.

The next Hogsmeade weekend came just before Valentine's Day, and Jamie wasn't allowed to go-Dumbledore said it was for her safety. Ginny had come down quite suddenly with a nasty cold, and so she was the one who stayed behind with Jamie. "Don't worry; I'll be better in time for Valentine's Day," she told Harry miserably. Well, it sounded more like, "Dob'd worry; I'll be bedder for Balendine's Day," and she sneezed into a handkerchief several times after this proclamation, but Harry didn't contradict her. He simply smiled and grabbed a blanket from the back of one of the couches in the common room. "Just get better," he said, tucking it around her. He looked at Jamie. "Will you two be all right here?"

"We'll be fine," Jamie said.

"Jusd bring back lods of chocolade," Ginny said.

Harry grinned. "I will."

"And dob'd forge-"

"Don't forget to get Molly a birthday present," Harry finished.

Ginny nodded.

"I won't." Molly's fourth birthday had been on February tenth, but this was the first day any of them had to get her anything. Harry met up with Ron, Hermione, and Neville, and the four of them headed down to Hogsmeade. Will had decided to go with Shay, and Harry had no idea where the two of them were.

"So what are you and Ginny doing for Valentine's Day?" Hermione asked him as they made their way out of the Hogwarts gates.

Harry shrugged. "I dunno. We haven't really decided..." The truth was, he hadn't a clue what to do. His first Valentine's Day with a girl-Cho Chang-had been disastrous, and he didn't want to ruin his first Valentine's Day with Ginny.

"Harry! You have to do something for Ginny! It's your first Valentine's together!" Hermione admonished. "

Ron rolled his eyes at Harry, but was wise enough not to say anything.

"I'm working on it, Hermione," Harry said dryly. "Besides-what are you doing?"

Ron made a face at him, which Harry pointedly ignored. Hermione sighed and looked at him as if he hadn't a clue. "Harry, you know I can't talk about it with Ron standing right here."

Harry glanced over at Neville, who shrugged. Harry shook his head and turned his eyes back on the road. They were just entering Hogsmeade, which looked as quaint as ever with its snow-covered buildings. They were soon lost in visiting all of their favorite shops. As promised, Harry bought Ginny a huge bag of chocolate at Honeyduke's. When they reached Zonko's Joke Shop, Harry was startled to see Angelina Johnson-no, Angelina Weasley-standing just outside.

Ron sounded equally surprised. "Angelina!"

Angelina turned and grinned at them. "Hello! I was wondering if I would see you today."

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked, giving Angelina a hug. "And how are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling a lot better-no more morning sickness, thank goodness, and I'm not nearly as tired anymore," Angelina said.

Harry frowned. "You still don't look...well, pregnant." It still seemed so weird that Angelina was actually going to have a baby. With Fred. They had just been in school with him last year...

Angelina laughed. "Well, no. I'm only three months, Harry; I won't start really showing for another month or two."

"Oh." That showed how much he knew about pregnancy.

"As far as what I'm doing here," Angelina continued, "Well...that's a story. You see-"

"Ron!" Fred's loud voice interrupted Angelina, and he stepped through a pack of fourth years to stand beside his wife. "Harry, Hermione, Neville-good to see you! Where's Ginny? I heard she can hardly be separated from you these days, Harry..."

"She's sick," Harry replied, wondering who Fred had heard this from, since he and Ginny spent plenty of time separated...

Fred narrowed his eyes at Harry. "Better not be the same kind of sickness that Angelina's got."

Harry flushed crimson. "I-no-of course not-we-" He saw the twinkle in Fred's eye and glared mutinously. "She just has a cold."

"And you're here, instead of bringing her tea and toast?" Fred teased.

Harry held up the bag of chocolate, and Fred grinned. "Ah," he said, with a nod of understanding. "But of course. My darling sister's insatiable need for chocolate strikes again."

"What are you doing here?" Ron repeated Hermione's earlier question.

"We," Fred said proudly, "were completing a sale."

"A sale? With Zonko's?" Hermione asked, raising her eyebrows.

"In a matter of speaking," Fred said. "Except it's not Zonko's anymore."

"What do you mean?" Ron asked.

"Well, it's sure to be in the papers tomorrow..." Fred said lazily.

Angelina rolled her eyes upward. "Honestly, Fred, you are such a prat." She looked at Harry and his friends. "Mr. Zonko is retiring," she explained. "And he doesn't have anyone to pass his joke shop to. His son lives in Spain-which is where Mr. Zonko is moving-but he has no interest in running a joke shop. So we've bought it. The shop in Diagon Alley has been doing so well we can afford to open another one, and this is the perfect location."

"Angelina and I'll be moving out here, and George will be running the shop in Diagon Alley," Fred said. "Lee's going to be helping him with that quite a bit." He dropped his voice and looked around to make sure no one was listening. "It's also part of the work we're doing for the Order-so is the shop in Diagon Alley. I'll tell you more about when we're somewhere a little less crowded."

"That's great!" Hermione said. "When will you be moving?"

"In a month or so," Angelina replied.

"So we're sure to see a lot more of you," Fred said. He wrapped an arm around Angelina. "Right now, though, we need to get going. Tell Ginny hello for us-and that niece and nephew of ours, too. Oh, and Hermione-here." Fred pulled a small parcel out of his pocket and handed it to her. "It's the...stuff you asked me for," he said with a grin.

It had to be the last ingredient for the Veritaserum. "Oh! Thank you!" Hermione carefully tucked the parcel into her robe pocket. "What do I owe you?"

"Nothing...I had my ways of getting it," Fred said. Nodding at them, Fred and Angelina headed down the busy street.

"Well, good for them!" Hermione said, giving a satisfied nod. "It's great that their business is going so well."

"Yeah." Ron stared at their retreating backs for a minute, and then turned his gaze on Hermione, Harry, and Neville. "I'm hungry. Anyone up for lunch?"

Ginny blew her nose for the hundredth time, sighing miserably. Jamie was being incredibly nice about sitting with her and working on her homework, but Ginny knew she was poor company-she barely had the energy to get off the couch. And she probably looked as horrid as she felt-earlier, when she had looked at herself in the mirror, her face had been pale-all for her nose, which was completely red, and her freckles. She hated colds. Why had she had to come down with one right now? She had so much to do-the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff was in a week, loads of homework...she had tried to get some done earlier, but had failed miserably. Her head felt so stuffy, and her brain wasn't working properly.

"I could really use some dea righd aboud dow," Ginny said stuffily. Her mum had always made hot tea and toast for all of the Weasley children when they were ill, and it was something Ginny had continued even at Hogwarts.

"I'd get you some, but...I'm not allowed around the school by myself," Jamie said, making a face. "I could ask one of the younger students to fetch a cup."

Ginny shook her head. "Id's all righd. I'll jusd-"

"Ginny?" a timid-looking second year approached her. Ginny was pretty sure her name was Isabelle.

"Yes?"

"An owl just pecked on one of the windows-it had a package for you." Isabelle held out a small, flat, rectangular package.

Frowning curiously, Ginny took it from her. "Thank you."

"Welcome." Isabelle scuttled away, and Ginny flipped the package over. There was no writing on it except for Ginny Weasley, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and , her family-the only people who really wrote her at school-put a return address on anything they sent. She hesitated, holding the package at arm's length. She had received enough curses from people who wished her to break up with Harry, but it had been several weeks since one of those had come.

Sighing-she wouldn't know one way or another unless she opened it-she carefully peeled back the edges of the package. When nothing came oozing out of it, she opened it further and grabbed hold of the item within. A physical shock seemed to course through her fingers, startling her, and she quickly pulled her hand away. More cautiously, she reached out and touched it again. Nothing happened this time, so she pulled it completely out of the wrapping. When she saw what she held in her hand, she frowned in puzzlement. "Id's a blank piece of parchment."

Jamie sat down beside her. "It's part of a blank piece of parchment. Why would someone send you a piece of parchment?" She plucked the paper out of Ginny's hand, turning it over and shaking her head. "I don't know what it is."

"You didb't feel anything when you douched id?"

"Feel anything? Like what?" Jamie asked.

"I thoughd I feld a shock in my fingers when I douched id, bud baybe I imagined id."

Jamie shook her head and put the parchment down. "I'd tell Dumbledore if anything else happens."

Ginny nodded pensively. "I will."

"You all right, Gin?" Harry asked, frowning at her. She had barely moved from her spot on the couch all day.

Ginny nodded. "I'b jusd very dired." She promptly sneezed into the crook of her elbow, which made her already aching head pound, and she groaned miserably.

Harry frowned at her in concern. "C'mon, Ginny. You need to go to bed, and forget about Quidditch practice in the morning. You need sleep."

"Bud I can..."

"We'll practice without you. It won't do any good if you're sick for the game next week," Harry told her firmly, standing up and pulling her to her feet. For a moment, she was sure she was going to collapse; her legs weren't cooperating. She regained her footing, and Harry walked her over to the staircase to the girls' dormitories and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Go on."

Ginny smiled tiredly at him, and turned her head just in time to avoid sneezing all over his face. Ugh. Wasn't she just so romantic. "G'nighd, Harry." She trudged tiredly up to her dorm. Elspeth, her messy dormmate, was awake and applying make-up in front of her mirror. Ginny didn't bother to wonder what Elspeth was doing putting on make-up at nine o'clock on a Saturday night; stuff like this was a normal occurrence. She simply stumbled over to her bed and collapsed onto it, barely managing to pull her curtains closed.

Ginny had a very hard time getting comfortable; her head really hurt and her nose was so plugged it was difficult to breathe. She tossed and turned, finally settling in a sitting position against several pillows. She fell asleep to the sound of Elspeth humming to herself.

Darkness. Thick, stifling blackness surrounded her. It was a familiar darkness; this wasn't the first time she had experienced it in her dreams. Ever since Tom Riddle's possession of her, nightmares had frequented her sleep. And they always started with the darkness.

This was one was different. Ginny realized it almost immediately. First, it was unusual because she knew it was a dream. Most of the time, her unconscious mind wasn't actually aware that she was asleep. Second, instead of the vague sequence of images that usually accompanied the suffocating gloom-the part that made it a nightmare-wasn't there. Ginny waited for it; expected it, but it didn't come. It was as if her mind had been suspended in this inky night.

Then, a pinprick of light began in the center of the blackness. It wasn't bright white light, but a dull gray that was almost as bad as the dark. It grew and grew until Ginny could see a shadowy form silhouetted against the glow. She could tell it was a person, but she couldn't make out any facial features. A cold, hard knot of dread formed in her stomach, and even before the figure spoke, she realized whom she was seeing in her dreams.

"Hello, Ginevra," a high, cold voice rang through her mind, causing the dread in her stomach to change to terror that flooded through her body. Ginevra was her full first name-not a well-known fact-but Tom Riddle had called her Ginevra when addressing her personally. This wasn't sixteen-year-old Tom Riddle, though; this was Lord Voldemort, and how would Voldemort have known her real name?

He's not real, he's not real...I'm only dreaming, Ginny thought frantically, but at the same time, something in the back of her mind told her otherwise.

"In case you're wondering how I know your name-I know much about you, Ginny Weasley. Harry Potter may have destroyed my diary, but did you not think I would be able to access its information? Did you not realize I would have some safeguards on it so I could retrieve what knowledge it carried?"

Ginny tried to speak, and found that she was able to talk. "The diary is worthless; it was destroyed. You can't use it against me."

Voldemort continued to speak, and she realized by his words that he either couldn't hear her or he was choosing to ignore her. "Did you really believe you could touch magic so strong, so powerful, without consequences? You and I share a bond, Ginny Weasley, whether you know it or not. Did you enjoy the package I sent?"

"The...paper? You sent that?" A horrible suspicion dawned on Ginny, and she said, "It was a piece of a page from the diary! But...how? I don't have a bond with you anymore! I broke it!" Ginny exclaimed vehemently, just as angry as she was terrified. "Harry broke it when he destroyed the diary!"

Voldemort's voice went on, and Ginny began to realize that this wasn't Voldemort-that is, it was, but not in person. She was listening to some sort of...recording. "Who would have thought that when famous Harry Potter fell in love, it would be with you, of all people...you, who were my own for so very long? How terribly unfortunate for you. Do you see the irony of it? No, of course you don't, but that is of no consequence. I'm afraid that you, my dear, are a liability, in far too many ways. You stand in the way of one I must destroy, you see, and I will not make the same mistake twice."

Ginny had no idea what he meant by not making the same mistake twice, but she filed it away to examine later.

"As for your daughter-she is from the future; I'm sure she has valuable information that could turn the tide of this war. It is simply a matter of...retrieving it. She is but the means to an end. It is not she that I want, nor you, Miss Weasley. Harry's fate is bound to mine. You must know that. You should have known better than to get involved any further with Harry Potter, but it seems that you were just as foolish as some who came before you. And thus I have devised a spell, especially for you." A cold smile crossed Voldemort's face. "Sleep well, Ginevra."

Harry got up early with his Quidditch team-minus Ginny-on Sunday morning, and got a good two hours of training in. Afterward, he showered, dressed, ate, and spent the morning catching up on homework. Ron and Hermione were off doing...something, and Will and Jamie were engaged in a game of Exploding Snap, while Neville watched and worked on homework of his own. By mid-morning, there was still no sign of Ginny, but Harry assumed she was just sick and exhausted, and if anyone needed sleep, it was Ginny.

However, when noon rolled around, Harry was beginning to get a little concerned. Ginny had gone to bed fifteen hours earlier. What if she was feeling worse? Maybe she needed to see Madam Pomfrey.

At one o'clock, he finally snagged Jamie and asked her if she would go check on Ginny. Jamie nodded. "Of course." She hurried up the staircase to the girls' dormitories. Several minutes later, she rushed back down the stairs, a worried look on her face. "Harry, go get Professor McGonagall."

Panic immediately flared up inside of Harry. "What's wrong?"

"Ginny's lying on her bed and she's not moving at all. She's still breathing, but I tried calling her name and shaking her...I even tried to 'Ennervate.' Nothing worked. I can't wake her up, Harry."

The next day was the longest of Harry's life. After bringing Professor McGonagall to look at Ginny, she had taken Ginny to the infirmary and brought Dumbledore to see her. Madam Pomfrey had been unable to do anything to wake Ginny, but was able to determine she had been cursed. Finally, around dinnertime, they gathered Harry, Ron, Hermione, Jamie, Will, and Neville together and asked if any of them knew of anything suspicious that had happened to Ginny recently.

"She had a cold," Harry said despairingly. "That's all."

Jamie frowned. "She...got a package in the mail yesterday-while everyone else was at Hogsmeade." She told them about the blank piece of paper, and Professor McGonagall hurried up to Gryffindor Tower to find it. When she returned to the infirmary, she looked grim.

"We'll need to run some tests on it, but I think I might know what happened," she informed Dumbledore curtly.

At that point, Harry and the others were asked to leave the infirmary. They all refused, but Dumbledore said, "We will inform you of what we learn soon. Right now, it would be most helpful to us-and to Ginny-if you wait outside."

Harry and Ron looked mutinous, but in the end, they acquiesced. It was several hours before Dumbledore opened the door, looking very tired. He waved them all inside. "I believe I can explain what happened."

Harry crossed his arms and waited.

"This piece of parchment that Ginny received in the mail is part of Tom Riddle's diary-the one that you destroyed almost four years ago, Harry," Dumbledore began. "And it contained within it a spell, administered by Voldemort, if not created by him. When Ginny touched it, the spell was activated. It would have only worked on Ginny-if anyone else touched it, they would not have been harmed."

"What sort of spell?" Hermione asked immediately.

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "As far as what kind of spell it is-we haven't had much chance to study it, but as far as we can tell, it was a curse designed to be built into an inanimate object-the page from the diary-and was such that it affected Ginny's mind as soon as she fell asleep. There was a powerful sleeping spell built into the paper, but it is like nothing we've ever seen before." He eyed the students carefully for a moment, then said, "We believe it was administered by Voldemort, if not created by him."

"Wait. You're saying You-Know-Who put a curse on Ginny?" Ron asked, stricken. "You can break it, though, right?"

"In time, perhaps," Dumbledore said somberly. "However, we have only traces of the curse to study, so the task is a bit more difficult."

"Why use a piece of the diary, though?" Hermione asked.

"It was the only physical element Voldemort had that represented Ginny's bond to him. He could have done the spell without it, but using it made the curse more powerful," Dumbledore explained. "She is, quite effectively, in a coma."

"Can't we just destroy the diary page?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid that wouldn't do anything," Dumbledore replied. "It was only the means to an end; it's useless now. Until we find a way to remove the curse, she will not wake up."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Harry snapped.

"Rest assured that we are going to be doing everything we can to find a way to wake Ginny," Dumbledore said. "It may be that she will be moved to St. Mungo's. I need to contact your parents, Ronald. You may go see Ginny now." Dumbledore strode off down the hall.

Harry angrily turned and strode into the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey pinned him with a stern look, but didn't say anything. Harry barely noticed his friends following him. He stopped beside Ginny's bed and looked down at her. Her face was as pale as it had been last night, and her long red hair was splayed on her pillow. He felt muddled guilt, fear, and anger. He took Ginny's hand. "I'm sorry, Ginny," he whispered. If he hadn't given the diary back to Lucius Malfoy, the curse on her might not be as strong...

"We're going to get her out of this, Harry," Hermione said from just behind him. "If it's the last thing we do, we'll get her out of this."

Harry spent the entire day in the hospital wing with Ginny, except when he had to go eat meals. Madam Pomfrey tried to chase him away at curfew, but he refused to go. "You have been here all day, Mr. Potter. She's not going anywhere," Madam Pomfrey told him. "You need to return to your dormitory."

"It's all right, Harry. We'll stay with her," Hermione's voice came from behind Harry. He turned to see Jamie and Hermione standing in the doorway of the infirmary. "Professor Dumbledore gave us permission," Jamie told Madam Pomfrey.

Madam Pomfrey nodded. "Fine. Mr. Potter-bed." She withdrew to her office.

Harry stood up as Jamie and Hermione approached Ginny's bed. "Professor Dumbledore talked to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said quietly, standing at the end of the bed as Jamie sat down on a chair. "They're going to move her to St. Mungo's in a week if no one can do anything for her here. There are professional curse-breakers at St. Mungo's who deal with this sort of thing for a living. Not that I don't have every confidence in Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore," she added hurriedly. "But Dumbledore has a school to run, and...well, it's just a back-up plan in case nothing can be figured out here." She smiled encouragingly at Harry, but even Harry could see the smile looked a bit forced.

Harry drew a deep breath and let it out. "St. Mungo's isn't safe. Remember Bode?" He looked at Jamie and explained, "He was a man that Voldemort wanted dead. He was given a potted Devil's Snare for Christmas last year, and the staff at St. Mungo's didn't even notice. He was strangled to death."

Jamie's eyes widened, and she looked at Ginny. She finally shook her head. "I'm sure there will be a lot of family and friends watching out for Ginny-and...well, Hogwarts doesn't seem to be that safe for her, either." She studied Ginny for a moment, and then glanced at Harry and Hermione. "You know, there was something that Aunt Hermione told us once-she said it was very important that we remember it, no matter what. 'Diligo victum totus.'"

"I saw that somewhere," Hermione said, frowning. "Oh! It was in my journal-that is, Hermione Weasley's journal-Will gave it to me to read so I could look for anything that might help us. I thought I might find something that had been missed, since I'm probably the best person to sort through it. The last page in the journal had diligo victum totus written on it. It's Latin for 'love conquers all,'" Hermione said.

Harry shook his head. "Somehow, I don't think that's going to help Ginny right now."

Jamie shrugged. "Maybe not, but the point that I was making is this: you love Ginny. So do I, and so do a lot of other people. That counts for something, and...well, love can do amazing things."

That was something Harry knew very well. His mother's love for him had saved him from the Killing Curse. Still-this wasn't a Muggle fairy tale. He couldn't just kiss Ginny and wake her up. He sighed and pushed his glasses up so he could rub his eyes. "Let me know if anything changes."

"We will," Hermione promised, settling down on the bed beside Ginny's. "Try to get some rest, Harry."

Chapter Twenty-Eight ~ Shadows of Truth

"MALFOY!" Harry's voice rang through the Great Hall the next morning, and half the students preparing for class turned to look at him as he stormed to the Slytherin table. He whipped out his wand and pointed it straight between Malfoy's eyes.

"Harry! Harry, no!" Harry heard Hermione's voice calling him, but he ignored it.

"You knew this was going to happen to Ginny!" Harry accused, feeling the eyes of the students upon him. Whispers started running up and down the tables, and he heard Ginny's name mentioned. "Tell me how to fix it, or I swear, I will-"

"Will what, Potter?" Malfoy said lazily. He stood up, resting his hands on the table. "She should have known better than to cross the Dark Lord."

"You-"

"POTTER! Just what do you think you are doing?"

In his peripheral vision, Harry saw Professor McGonagall striding down the length of the Great Hall. He didn't flinch. "He knew! He knew something was going to happen to Ginny!"

"Mr. Potter! Lower your wand at once!" McGonagall demanded. "Mr. Malfoy, my office, now. You too, Potter."

Harry held his wand on Malfoy for a moment more, and then swiveled around. Still holding his wand, he accompanied Professor McGonagall to her office, Malfoy beside him, a smirk on his face. Once they'd reached the office, Professor McGonagall whirled and pinned them both with a glare. "Explain."

Harry told her about the note that Ginny had found in her pocket a month earlier, and Malfoy snorted. "Come on, Potter. Why would I write something like that? I have nothing to do with whatever happened to your girlfriend."

Professor McGonagall eyed Malfoy for a moment, and then said, "Go finish your breakfast, Mr. Malfoy. Potter, sit down."

Sneering at Harry, Malfoy left the office. Harry threw himself into a chair in front of McGonagall's desk. "He knows something, Professor."

"That may be, but it is not in your authority to accuse him and cause a disturbance at breakfast! I will speak with him later, but you will leave him alone. We all regret what has happened to Ginny, but you must control yourself!"

Harry looked at her stubbornly, but refrained from saying anything.

"Now-go finish your breakfast, Potter," Professor McGonagall said irritably.

Harry stomped out of Professor McGonagall's office, only to find Hermione waiting for him outside. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him down the hall, looking around to ensure that no one was listening. "Harry-I wanted to tell you. I went and added the final ingredient to the Veritaserum when I got back from Hogsmeade. It finished stewing last night. It's ready."

"He's coming down the hall," Will whispered from underneath Jamie's invisibility cloak. He stood in the doorway of the Room of Requirement, and he glanced over his shoulder at Hermione, who was inside the room.

Hermione patted the chair in front of her. "It'll be fine. Harry'll Stun him," she said.

Draco continued to approach, having been lured to this hallway by a well-placed note that he thought one of his friends had left him, courtesy of Shay. After his next step down the hallway, he suddenly fell flat on his face and didn't move. Will watched as Draco's body slid down the hall, and he stepped aside, giving Harry-in his own invisibility cloak and pulling Draco's Stunned body-room to get through the door. A minute later, the door shut, and Harry pulled off the cloak, glaring down at Draco He grabbed one of Draco' arms, and Will came over to take the other. The two of them heaved the Slytherin into the chair-the only piece of furniture that the Room of Requirement had procured for them.

Will pulled off the cloak he wore and tucked it into his robes. Hermione quickly pointed her wand at Draco. Ropes shot out of it, binding him to the chair. She carefully pulled a vial of clear liquid out of her robe pocket and held it up. "Are you two ready?"

"Yes," Harry answered shortly, and Will nodded.

They had decided it would be best if only a couple of them went to administer the Veritaserum and question Draco. As one of the creators of the potion, Hermione had gone, and of course, there had been no way Harry was going to stay behind. Will had come as their expert from the future-they thought it best to have him on the off chance Draco said something that made sense to Will, but not to them. They were trying to keep Jamie as far away from Draco as possible until they knew exactly what was going on, so she had stayed behind just to be on the safe side.

Hermione walked over to stand in front of Draco and tilted his head back, pulling his jaw slightly open. She pulled the stopper out of the vial and squeezed some of the Veritaserum into a dropper. Taking a deep breath, she carefully poured three drops of the potion in Malfoy's mouth. She nodded at Harry, who pointed his wand at Draco and said, "Ennervate."

Draco's eyes snapped open, his face sagging, his eyes glazed. Harry stepped directly in front of him, but Hermione held up her hand. "Wait. I'm pretty sure it worked, but we need a test." She looked at Draco. "What's your name?"

"Draco Lucius Malfoy," he said in a voice void of all expression.

"Do you work for Voldemort?" Hermione asked.

"Yes."

Hermione nodded and stepped back beside Will. "I'm sure it's working." She looked quite pleased, and Will didn't blame her. She and Jamie had worked hard to create the potion.

"What do you know-" Harry began, but was cut off by Hermione tugging on the sleeve of his robe.

"We need to start at the beginning, Harry."

Harry pressed his mouth together, but nodded. "When did you start working for Voldemort?"

"After my father was captured at the Ministry of Magic," Draco said.

"Did you ever have contact with him?" Hermione asked. "And if so, what contact?"

"I only talked with his Death Eaters, through one of the school fireplaces. I told them what was happening at the school."

"Did they ever tell you anything?" Harry asked.

"Not much. I received certain instructions, but beyond that, they don't tell me anything," Draco replied, his eyelids flitting.

"What instructions were you given?" Hermione questioned.

"I was sent a package. A Gourl," Draco said flatly.

"Not another one of those!" Harry hissed under his breath.

"What purpose did the Gourl serve?" Hermione asked.

"It played a recording of the Dark Lord speaking in Parseltongue. I was told to take it to the girl's bathroom on the second floor and use it on the sink with the symbol of the snake. It opened up a tunnel, but the bottom of the tunnel was sealed with a wall. It took me two weeks to make a hole in the wall."

"Why would Voldemort want you to open the Chamber of Secrets?" Will asked.

"He needed snake skin from the basilisk. I don't know why."

Harry, Hermione, and Will exchanged glances, and then Will spoke again. "Were you given any other instructions?"

"One more instruction, before Christmas. I was told to send some of my cousin's hairs to the Death Eaters for the Dark Lord."

"Your cousin...you mean Tonks?" Hermione said, surprised.

"Yes."

Will glanced at Hermione. She was staring at Draco, her face pale and her eyes narrowed. She caught Will's eyes, and then turned back to Draco. "Why?"

"I don't know."

"What happened to Ginny?" Harry snapped.

"The Dark Lord cursed her."

"How?"

"I don't know."

"You do know!" Harry's voice rose. "You told her-"

"Harry, he's under the influence of Veritaserum. He can't lie," Hermione reminded him.

"I know, but-" Harry broke off. "You gave Ginny a note a month ago-you told her that she was running out of time-what did you mean? How did you know?" As angry as Harry looked, Will wondered if he was going to attack Draco, bound and drugged or not.

"I knew that the Dark Lord was going to do something to her soon," Draco said. "I knew because I'm the one who found his old diary-the one that my father had given to Ginny her first year here. The Dark Lord wanted it back, and I was only told it would be used on Ginny Weasley."

Will closed his eyes. They should have suspected that Draco would only be elaborating on bits of information he had-he tried to look more powerful than he was, and he used whatever he could to provoke Harry and his friends.

"Do you know anything about what Voldemort is doing?" Hermione said.

"He's using someone to spy on Dumbledore's resistance group."

That was one of the things Will, Harry, and Hermione had been going to ask about. "Who?" Will and Hermione asked at once. They exchanged glances, and Hermione said, "Who is the spy?"

"I don't know."

"And that's it!" Hermione said, throwing her hands in the air. After modifying Malfoy's memory, they had left him in the hallway, knowing he would come around when the Veritaserum wore off. Harry, Hermione, Will, Shay, Jamie, Ron, and Neville had met in an empty classroom to discuss the results. "He didn't know anything. He knew about Jamie because he overheard his mother reporting to someone in their fireplace over Christmas break, which means his mother heard it from somewhere, but we don't know where or how. It doesn't surprise me that his mum is in on this-that whole family's deep in the dark arts. Malfoy said she was the one who told Rita Skeeter about Jamie-apparently in hopes that if the rest of the world knew about Jamie, it would force her out into the open."

"Which would make it easier for Voldemort to find her and get his hands on her," Shay concluded, his face rigid.

"Yes. Rita then went and did her own research-asked around at the Regulation and Control of Time-Travel Office and learned about the unauthorized Time-Turner used in August. She found out from Stan Shunpike that Jamie had been on the Knight Bus," Hermione continued.

"Which is how they were able to get a drawing of Jamie for the Prophet," Will said.

"Draco knew that I'd done a Hair-Lengthening Charm, though," Jamie spoke up. "How did he know that?"

"Some comment that his mother made to Rita Skeeter," Will replied. He wrapped his arms around his knees and looked around at his friends and parents. "She said something about Jamie being just as vain as Harry, and mentioned the Hair-Lengthening Charm."

"Then who is Malfoy's mum talking to? Where is this coming from?" Ron asked, frustrated.

"And just what did Voldemort want with Tonks' hair?" Neville asked, wrinkling his nose.

Hermione hesitated. "I have a guess."

"Well?" Ron prodded.

"Malfoy said he received instructions to take Tonks' hair before Christmas-as far as we know, that was before Voldemort learned of Jamie. And Jamie has to be in the middle of Voldemort's plans now-he has to assume that Jamie warned us about...well, the things that happened in this time. He has to assume that Jamie knowseverything about what his plans were, just to be on the safe side. That's why he wants her so badly-to find out just what she knows. Because of that, he would have had to change everything. What if it was part of his plan to kill Dumbledore and frame Tonks, as it happened in the original timeline? Who knows what he used the hair for-he could have used Polyjuice Potion and infiltrated the school-or had someone else infiltrate it. We don't know, and we may never find out," Hermione continued.

"Whatever the reason, Voldemort probably isn't going to use it again, not unless he finds out just what Jamie knows," Harry reminded her.

"It's the news about the Chamber of Secrets that really has me worried," Hermione said. "Why did Voldemort want basilisk skin? I mean, I know he couldn't just buy it; basilisks are extremely rare, and bits of them can't be sold-it's illegal because their organs and skin and stuff can be dangerous when used improperly."

"Who knows?" Ron shrugged.

"So where does that leave us?" Neville asked.

"Right back where we started, except that we can at least warn Tonks that Voldemort has her hair-whether he'll ever use it or not," Hermione said.

"Should we tell Dumbledore that the Chamber of Secrets isn't blocked off anymore?" Will asked.

"Then he's going to wonder what we did to it," Ron pointed out.

"Well...we'll tell him we didn't do anything," Will replied. He paused and sighed. "Then he'll want to know how we found out..."

"Look, the only people who can access the Chamber of Secrets are those who speak Parseltongue," Harry said.

"Or those who have a Gourl recording Parseltongue," Hermione put in. She sighed. "The wall Dumbledore put up was just a precautionary measure, in case any of the students managed to find their way down to the Chamber. Like Malfoy said, it took him two weeks to break through it-how many people would bother? It might be better if we just went down to see if we could repair the wall on our own."

"Well, since I'm the only one who can speak Parseltongue and open the entrance..." Harry began with a sigh.

Jamie cleared her throat. "Actually..."

Harry stared at her for a moment. "You speak Parseltongue?"

"Erm...Aunt Hermione said that Parseltongue was passed down from Salazar Slytherin to his descendents...and that since you speak Parseltongue, it only made sense that you passed it to me...and that if I ever have children, I very well might pass it to them," Jamie said awkwardly. "I never thought to mention it...sorry."

"Well, I think in this case, I'll still go. Hermione?" Harry looked at her.

"I'll come and see if there's a way I can fix the wall," Hermione said. "What about warning Tonks?"

"I'll talk to her," Will offered. "I can tell her that we found out that Draco's been helping Voldemort, but I won't tell her anything else."

Later that evening, a freshly-showered Hermione joined an also freshly-showered Harry in the infirmary. "I'm so glad to be clean. That tunnel was so slimy. And so long."She shuddered. "At least we managed to find a way to fix the wall, even if it will take us a couple trips to repair it all the way. Oh, and I just spoke with Will. He talked to Tonks. She said she wasn't surprised to hear that Malfoy's been helping Voldemort, and thanks for warning her. She asked Will how he had learned about the hairs, and Will told her we'd been doing some spying of our own. She told him to be careful"

"Good." Harry took a deep breath and let it out, his gaze dropping to Ginny's prone form. "Are you and Ron doing anything today?"

"I don't know...I know it's Valentine's Day, but...it's hard to celebrate when Ginny's here."

"You should carry out whatever plans you had, Hermione. Don't let Voldemort ruin your first Valentine's Day with Ron. You were the one who was so excited about it."

Hermione smiled sadly. "I know, but it's all right. There are more important things."

Harry remained silent for a moment. "So now what?"

Hermione wrapped her arms around herself and fixed her own eyes on Ginny. "I don't know, Harry."

Six days came and went, and Ginny remained in the same state in the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey had been trying different ways of waking Ginny, but as she said, "I just don't know enough about the curse that did this!" Several other people had been trying things-even Snape said it might be possible that a potion could wake her, and he was working on it, but he also said it was difficult without knowing more about the curse. The week crept along, and Harry put what energy he had into Quidditch. Flying helped him vent some of his anger and frustration, but every time he went up on the broom with his Quidditch team, he felt Ginny's absence more strongly. She should be up here on a broom, not down in the hospital wing.

He had tried to postpone the match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, but was told that there was no time-one match had already been postponed, and they had no guarantee that Ginny would wake up anytime soon. They ended up playing with only Katie and Sari as Chasers, and they beat Hufflepuff by thirty points, thanks to a quick catch of the Snitch by Harry, and some fantastic saves on Ron's part. Despite the victory, their happiness was tainted by the fact that Ginny wasn't there to share it with them.

A week after Ginny's fall into sleep, Mr. Weasley and Bill arrived to take her to St. Mungo's. "Don't worry," Bill told them. "We'll have someone with her at all times, and she's being put in a special area of the hospital that has very high security. She'll be well-guarded. Mum and Dad just want to see if the Healers can do anything for her-Dumbledore and the others will still be working on a counter-curse, too. The more people working, the better, I say."

Harry hoped that the Healers would be able to help, but he had his doubts. If Voldemort had designed this curse, he wouldn't have made it that easy to break. He hesitated, then leaned down and kissed Ginny gently on the lips, not caring that her father and brother were watching. "I love you, Ginny," he whispered, knowing she probably couldn't hear him. He stepped back, and Bill leaned down to pick her up.

"She'll wake up," Bill said encouragingly.

Harry did his best to carry on with his classes and his life, knowing the best that he could do to help Ginny would be to learn all he could and keep his eyes open for anything suspicious. He spent a lot of time in the library with Hermione, pulling on any and all references to sleeping spells There were some days that he just felt completely useless, and it was only the presence of his friends that kept him sane. He spent a lot of time with his Quidditch team on the field. He had been forced to come up with some new techniques that only accounted for two Chasers. Professor McGonagall had told him he could take on a reserve player, but he felt like that would be confirming that Ginny wasn't coming back. "I can do it with two Chasers until Ginny's better," he had told her firmly.

Sometimes to relax a little, he would go flying with Ron or Jamie, or by himself. He still had his Occlumency lessons with Dumbledore, but he was frustrated with them, because he couldn't help thinking that if he could only see into Voldemort's mind, he might be able to find a way to wake Ginny. However, he knew the dangers of that-it had gotten Sirius killed last time he had tried-and he wasn't going to risk doing the same to Ginny.

He had also stopped meeting Sari for sign language classes, because he had become quite efficient at using signs for speaking. He could even understand most of the conversations between Sari and Aiden when their hands were moving at top speed. The Gryffindors who spent time around Sari had also picked up varying aptitudes of sign language, and oftentimes, they could be seen signing to each other discreetly across rooms. It made for a very good way of passing messages in classes, or passing messages when they didn't want any of the other Houses to know what they were saying.

Charlie Weasley returned from Romania shortly after Ginny left for St. Mungo's, but didn't come back to the school to teach. He went straight to Grimmauld Place, and Hagrid continued teaching Care of Magical Creatures.

February passed into March, and Fred and Angelina moved to Hogsmeade and opened their shop. Occasionally one or both of them could be seen on Hogwarts grounds, visiting with old friends or watching Quidditch practices. During those visits, Harry learned that their joke shops in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley were both being used as fronts for the Order; Fred, George, Angelina, and Lee-who had joined the Order-were creating various items to be used in the fight against Voldemort. "Our primary goal is to make people laugh, though. Without that, the war's lost for certain," Fred said.

Harry also ended up seeing more of Luna Lovegood. She and Neville had begun spending quite a bit of time around each other; they had been friends since the end of the last year, but it seemed to Harry that Neville was seeing her a lot more than usual. He didn't think much of it-he didn't mind Luna being around; her crazy theories gave him something to take his mind off of Ginny, even for a moment.

March became into April, and there was still no progress made on Ginny's condition. The Healers had been unable to wake her. Snape had created a potion, which had also been unsuccessful, and all other attempts were equally useless. Harry was frustrated and discouraged, but refused to believe that Ginny would spend the rest of her life in a comatose state. He felt more restless and edgy as time passed. He wanted to do something-this whole year he had just been sitting around doing nothing while Voldemort wreaked havoc on the wizarding world. He just didn't know what he could do. He didn't even know where Voldemort was.

April turned into May, and May into June. There was a flurry of studying in preparation for final exams. The fifth years and seventh years were stressed beyond all the rest of the students, as they were taking their O.W.L.s and their N.E.W.T.s. Harry wondered if Ginny would be able to catch up on her schooling whenever-not if, when-she woke up. She had been stressed out enough doing her homework on time-maybe she would get an allowance for the four months of school she had missed.

Despite the constant concern everyone had for Ginny, Hermione put just as much time into studying, and fretted over the results of their exams. In addition to all of that strain, their wariness of Dumbledore's fate increased as the date of his death in the future timeline approached. While they weren't sure if it would still happen-or if it did,when it would happen-they remained alert. In the original timeline, he had apparently died the day before final exams began.

As it turned out, in the current timeline, Dumbledore wasn't even on Hogwarts grounds that day, and it passed without anything unusual happening. They still kept their eyes open as the long, arduous exams passed. Defense Against the Dark Arts was their last class, and Harry was glad when it was over, but depressed at the same time-it meant that the summer was going to start, and Ginny still wasn't there. He wasn't even sure what he was going to be doing this summer, as the Dursleys were dead. He assumed he'd be going to Grimmauld Place, but he hadn't actually confirmed this with Dumbledore.

"That exam wasn't so bad," Ron said, as he, Harry, and Hermione left the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, followed by Neville, Will, and Jamie. "It was hard trying to pick out Tonks from the real students-she looked just like Lavender, and when the two of them stood side by side... I'm just so glad all of the exams are over."

"It's too bad Tonks isn't coming back next year," Hermione said thoughtfully. "She was one of the best teachers we had for Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"I can't believe this year is over," Neville said, shaking his head. "This has been one of the strangest years of my life."

"What are you going to do for the summer, Neville?" Ron asked.

"I'm going back to stay with my Gran. I don't really have anywhere else to go, and Gran...well...you met her, you've seen what she's like. She'll want me home." Neville mumbled, looking at the ground. Harry got the distinct impression there was something Neville wasn't saying, but didn't want to press his friend.

"You'll be seventeen this summer, though," Ron pointed out. "I'm sure you could always come stay with us if you wanted to, at least for the last half. You'd just have to talk to Dumbledore."

Neville nodded and shifted his feet. "Well...actually..." He sighed and looked up, his face a little flushed. "Luna asked if I could come stay with her and her father for part of the summer."

Ron raised his eyebrows, and Will and Jamie exchanged glances. "Really?" Hermione said. "That's...lovely, Neville."

Neville looked decidedly awkward, but he nodded. Jamie laid a hand on his arm. "Neville, if you're worried about Shay-don't. I don't know exactly what's going on with you and Luna, but it doesn't matter. He knows something's going on. He also knows that this time is different. You can be with whomever you want. Trust me, it's something we've talked about at length."

Neville gave her a tiny smile. "Thanks. We're just friends right now, though-really," he said, seeing Ron's disbelieving expression.

"And speaking of Luna..." Hermione nodded at the entrance to the Great Hall, where Luna was emerging, the familiar faraway look in her eyes. "Hello, Luna! Did you just finish one of your O.W.L. exams?"

"Oh, hello," Luna said, veering in their direction. "Yes, it was Defense Against the Dark Arts. I think the examiner is a vampire," she said thoughtfully. She smiled at them and wandered off.

They headed out onto the grounds and headed toward the lake. It was a beautiful day; the giant squid was pushing across the water, smoke was trailing from Hagrid's hut, and the Whomping Willow was quivering. It all looked so normal, Harry thought hollowly.

Hermione glanced at the Whomping Willow and shuddered. "Ugh. Ron, you know, thanks to you, every time I see that tree, I have your memory of crashing into it. It's notpleasant."

Ron just rolled his eyes and didn't say anything. They lolled around for a while, and then a familiar voice broke through their quiet conversation. "I thought I'd find you out here."

Harry turned to see Angelina walking toward them, her gait rather awkward due to her protruding stomach. To his surprise, right beside her was Gabrielle Delacour.

"Angelina!" Hermione jumped to her feet. "It's great to see you. And Gabrielle! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, we just came to say hello. Gabrielle's staying with Fred and I for a couple of days while Bill and Fleur are in France. She wanted to get out of headquarters for a little while."

Gabrielle grinned at them. "Hello!" Her eyes lit upon Jamie, and she beamed. "Jamie! I was hoping to see you!"

"Gabrielle!" Jamie stood up and hugged the girl. "Your accent...it's not nearly as strong-your English has improved a lot."

"Monsieur Lupin has been helping me with my English," Gabrielle explained. "He has been helping Fleur, as well." She peered around, as if expecting to see someone else. "Is Shay not here?"

"He's still in his final exam," Neville spoke up, pointing toward the school.

"I see." Gabrielle turned toward the school. "Angelina said I could come see the school, since I will be coming here next year. It has been a long time since I last saw it." She looked hopefully at Angelina.

Angelina made a shooing motion. "Yes, yes. Go on. Just stay on Hogwarts grounds."

"I will!" Gabrielle trotted off, her pale hair flying behind her.

When she was gone, Angelina turned back to the group. "Has Dumbledore told you about Ginny yet?"

"What about Ginny?" Ron asked quickly.

Harry straightened; was there some new news about Ginny? If so, why hadn't he already been told?

"Well, Dumbledore's been working with the healers at St. Mungo's, and they think they've been able to analyze the curse-they know how it's working. And if they know how it's working, then they might be able to come up with a counter-curse," Angelina explained. She carefully sat down on the ground, leaning back with a groan. "My back and my hips are killing me," she muttered. "Only ten more weeks. I can do this."

Hermione gave her a sympathetic look, but Harry's mind was still on Ginny. "How long do they think it'll take to come up with a counter-curse?" he asked pressingly.

"I don't know, Harry," Angelina said regretfully. "It might take a day, it might take a year. This was some curse that Voldemort came up with."

"You don't need to tell us that," Neville said, shaking his head.

"I'm sure Dumbledore will tell you if anything changes," Angelina assured. She started to get up, and Will jumped to his feet and lent her a hand. "Thanks," she said, struggling to her feet. "I hate to run, but I need to speak with Tonks."

Hermione stood, as well. "I'll walk with you, if you don't mind. I've got something for you-I just finished it, and I'm not sure if I'll see you again before leaving school. One less thing to pack, you know."

Angelina laughed. "I understand. I don't mind at all." Angelina and Hermione walked off together, and Harry glanced at Ron, Will, Neville, and Jamie.

"I hope they find something for Ginny soon," Ron said. His expression of frustration matched Harry's feelings exactly.

Will nodded. "Me, too."

"There you are, Harry! Professor McGonagall sent me to get you-she wants to talk to you." An out-of-breath Dennis Creevey halted in front of them. "She said to tell you she's waiting for you outside of Dumbledore's office."

"Is it something to do with Ginny? Should I come, too?" Ron asked quickly.

"Er, I don't know," Dennis said. "McGonagall only asked for Harry."

Puzzled, Harry rose. "Thanks, Dennis." He shrugged at his friends. "I'll see you in a bit." He hurried up to the castle and through the corridors until he came to the gargoyle. Professor McGonagall was indeed standing outside.

"There you are, Potter. Come along, Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak with you. Licorice wand," she said. The gargoyle came to life and hopped aside, and Harry followed McGonagall up the moving stairs and into Professor Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, and he looked up when Harry entered. "Ah, Harry. Please have a seat."

Professor McGonagall retreated from the office, and Harry sat down in front of Dumbledore's desk, taking in the old wizard's appearance. He looked extremely tired, and he didn't smile at Harry.

"Professor, what's wrong? Is it Ginny? Angelina said you had figured out exactly how the curse worked."

"Yes. Yes, that is indeed the case, Harry." Dumbledore looked at Harry gravely, and a knot of apprehension formed in Harry's stomach. "I am afraid, however, it is not the best news. There are different spells that, when cast, create a connection between a person and an object, or two objects, or two people."

"Like when Tonks created the spell in the Gourl and the Mirror that Voldemort had-when he thought he was spying on me," Harry said. "The type of spell that was used connected Tonks to both objects."

"Precisely," Dumbledore agreed. "In Ginny's case, the curse that was put on Ginny is linked to the one who administered the curse."

"Voldemort."

"Yes. That is how we knew it was Voldemort who put this curse on Ginny."

"But the spells on the Gourl and the Mirror were broken-can't this be broken, too?" Harry asked.

"You have come to our problem. The curse, you see, was built in layers, and breaking through each layer was like unlocking a door. We had to find the right key for each one. We had hoped that if we unlocked all of the layers, the curse might be broken. Unfortunately, there is more to it than that. We now know why the counter-curses we employed didn't wake her, and why Professor Snape's potion did not work." Dumbledore looked at Harry for a long moment. "When we reached the 'center,' if you will, of the curse, we discovered that Voldemort is, in essence, grounding it. He is holding the base of the curse in place, and that is what needs to be broken. It is on his end of the connection, and we cannot do anything about it. It can be broken, but only by Voldemort."

"Well, that's just great!" Harry burst out, jumping to his feet. "Maybe if we just ask him nicely, he'll take it off of her!" He glared at Dumbledore. "There has to be another way. There has to be something, because if you think I'm just going to sit here and let Ginny stay in some coma for the rest of her life, you'd better think twice."

Dumbledore met Harry's eyes, a troubled look in his eyes. "That is why I have called you here."

Harry slowly sat down. "What?"

"I debated for a while as to whether I should tell you this," Dumbledore said. "Harry, you must understand-I'm not certain that it will work, and it could be very dangerous."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Dangerous to Ginny?"

"No, Harry. Dangerous to you." Dumbledore looked at him for a long moment. "There might-and I stress the word might-be a way that the curse can be broken, with your help."

"I'll do it," Harry said immediately.

"You should hear everything it entails."

"I don't care what it entails, Professor. If there is any chance that I can help Ginny, then I don't care what the danger is to me." Harry stared hard at Professor Dumbledore.

Dumbledore nodded slowly. "I thought you would say as much." Harry couldn't quite read the expression on his face. "I still must tell you what is involved, but I can do that at St. Mungo's." He stood up.

"Now?"

"Yes. We will be traveling to Grimmauld Place first. Dumbledore walked over to the teakettle sitting on his desk. "Come along, Harry."

"Shouldn't we bring Ron?" Harry asked, hurrying to stand beside Dumbledore. "And Jamie?"

"No; the fewer people there, the better. If this works, they will certainly see Ginny soon."

For the first time in four months, there was a glimmer of hope in Harry. There was a chance-he didn't care how big or small, it was a chance-that Ginny might be all right.

Hermione knocked on the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom with her foot, her hands full with her present for Angelina.

"Come in!" Tonks' voice called.

Right. "Erm...my arms are a bit full," Hermione said.

A moment passed, and then the door swung open on it's own accord. "I just wanted to make sure you were finished," Hermione said, stepping into the room. Tonks was seated on one of the desks, and Angelina sat in the teacher's chair.

"Oh, we've discussed business," Tonks said. "We're just chatting now."

"Here, Angelina." Hermione set her bundle down on Tonks' desk. "I know Mrs. Weasley is probably making you a ton of blankets, but I wanted to give this to you anyway."

Angelina unfolded the colorful blanket. "This is beautiful, Hermione. Did you knit it?"

"Yes," Hermione said, pleased. "It's not just a blanket though...when the baby starts crying, it plays lullabies."

Angelina smiled. "That's great, Hermione. Thank you."

Hermione returned the smile. "You're welcome." She was turning to leave when something on Tonks' desk caught her attention. It looked to be a letter, with Remus's signature at the bottom. That wasn't what caught her attention, though; it was the way the letter was addressed to Nora. Hermione stared at it for a long moment, and then her eyes flew to Tonks. "Nora. You're Nora."

Tonks tilted her head at Hermione. "Yes, to some people-it was a nickname that Sirius and his friends gave me when I was a little girl. What-"

Hermione was already halfway across the classroom, her mind racing. "I'm sorry, I have to go...I need to talk to Will."

Author notes: I d also like to say that I do know there are spelling and grammar mistakes in here, and at least one flint (naming the same character twice, which I realized too late). I finally did manage to submit the edited chapter to correct this flint, so to clarify, the sixth year Slytherin girl working with the Hogwarts Coalition is named Samantha Greer. ;)

Please understand I don t have the internet at home, so whenever I want to submit a chapter, I have to plan a trip out of the house the library to use theirs. Sometimes when I get there, I realize I need to add or change something to my chapter, and I don t have time to reread it all, so there winds up being a grammatical or spelling error that I don t catch until after I submit the chapter. I usually only have about twenty minutes to submit everything (that s about how long I can keep my toddler occupied before he wants to make a break for the bookshelves). I do try to reread and edit everything before I submit a chapter, but sometimes by the time I get to that point my brain is a bit foggy, since I often rewrite a chapter four or five times before I m happy with it.

I am working on editing everything, and I will be giving the entire story an overhaul when I m finished writing it. I ll then submit edited chapters as time permits (because I m nit-picky and it drives me crazy whenever I see a mistake I made) but my priority is to get the rest of the chapters written and submitted. Sooo all this to say thank you! You have had the dubious pleasure of reading the first version of my first Harry Potter story, and you all are amazingly awesome! I think some of you have photographic memories, and you certainly keep me on my toes. I appreciate all of your support and feedback, and I m trying to keep errors out of the story, because I know they re annoying. :)

(And if you read through all of this rambling, you deserve a bag of chocolate frogs. ;))

Chapter Twenty-Nine ~ Recuperso Transfero Memoria

After Shay's Transfiguration exam, Professor McGonagall asked to speak with him for a few minutes. She told him she was quite impressed with how much he had improved over the year, and that if he was interested, he could participate in her N.E.W.T. level class. Shay told her he would think about it, and left the class feeling quite satisfied. He knew he owed his success in no small part to Hermione's tutorials over the year. It was hard to believe he had gone through an entire school year at Hogwarts. So much had happened, and so much had changed-not only in the world around him, but also in himself.

He was turning the corner in the hallway when he came face-to-face with Draco Malfoy. The first thing Shay noticed was that he was strangely alone-normally, you didn't see Draco without at least Crabbe and Goyle. He tensed, fingers on his wand, and was about to side-step around him when Draco flickered. His face seemed to shift for a moment, as if there was another person underneath his skin, and then Shay was again staring at Draco's face.

It was something he had seen before, something he recognized, and a feeling of sudden dread clenched his stomach. He whipped out his wand and was moving it up to point at Draco's flickering face, but the other boy was quicker. "Stupefy!"

Shay saw a flash of red light, and then he blacked out.

Shortly after Hermione and Angelina left the lake, Jamie stood up, feeling restless. "Would someone mind walking up to the castle with me so I can find Shay? His exam should be over, and I told him to meet me outside, but I haven't seen him."

"I'll come with you, Jamie," Neville answered, before Ron or Will had the chance.

"Thanks."

Neville stood up, and the two of them headed back to the castle in silence. Jamie stole several glances at Neville as they headed for the school, feeling troubled. He had said he was just friends with Luna, and that was comforting...she had told Neville not to worry about Shay; that Shay knew Neville's relationships were his own. She hadn't lied to Neville. Shay, Will, and Jamie had all talked about their parents' relationships at various times.

Shay's relationship with Neville had improved so much since January-they were actually friends now. Not great friends, maybe, but friends just the same. Shay had noticed that Neville and Luna had been spending quite a bit of time together. He had said that he knew this time was different; he knew that Neville might have a relationship with someone other than Gabrielle. He had not, however, said he was all right with it. Jamie knew he wasn't; how could he be? She knew there was always a chance her parents wouldn't marry, but at least they were together. She would have a hard time seeing her parents with anyone else, and she knew Shay would be the same.

It had been rather a point of argument between Shay and Jamie. Jamie had told Shay he should talk to Neville about it, and Shay had snapped, "How can I ask him to wait and see if he falls in love with a girl who's only eleven now? This is Neville's life, not mine. It's not my business to tell him who he can and can't be with-and don't you tell him otherwise, Jamie. If the subject comes up, you just tell him not to worry. I know his life is his own."

"I can't tell him that! He's your father-if he wants to worry-"

"No, Jamie. This is one thing that is my business, and I am asking you to not interfere. If Neville somehow, someway does end up being with Gabrielle, I don't want it to be because he feels guilty about being with anyone else. It has to be his own decision, and that's what I want him to know."

Despite his words, she had caught Shay giving Luna several cold, calculating looks. They had changed their parents' lives so much, and Neville and Shay, possibly, had the strangest part to deal with.

And so she had told Neville not to worry, and she hoped he wouldn't-but she was worried for him.

Neville broke the silence as they neared the entrance. "I wasn't lying. Luna really is just my friend, you know."

Jamie blinked; she hadn't said anything out loud, had she?

Neville half-smiled. "I know Shay, Jamie. Not as well as you, but I know that he would have trouble if I dated someone. I can imagine it. It would be like me traveling back in time and finally getting to know my parents, and then watching them date other people. It would hurt. Oh, I'm sure Shay has said that he knows it might happen...but it doesn't mean it wouldn't hurt." He met Jamie's eyes. "Right?"

Jamie sighed, wondering if she was breaking an unspoken friendship rule by agreeing, but not being able to disagree. "Right." She stopped outside of the doors and turned to face Neville. "Do you want to be with Luna...as more than a friend?"

Neville shook his head. "Not right now, Jamie. Maybe not ever; I can't say for sure." He sighed heavily. "She's a good friend, and I've told her that's all I want to be, and she says that's all she wants, too. Actually, what she said was, 'I think it's silly that people believe a boy and a girl can't just be friends if they spend a lot of time together.' I think she's just lonely. She doesn't have many friends. Ginny spent time with her, but she's been in the hospital for four months. I'm one of Luna's only friends. And...well, she knows that Shay is...well, my son in the future. I don't know what she thinks about it-she's never said."

Neville hesitated and glanced over at the lake, where Ron, Harry, and Will were still talking. "You know, that's the third time I've ever seen Gabrielle-I saw her during the Triwizard Tournament, and briefly when Jamie was lost in the Forbidden Forest. This is the first time I ever actually talked to her, though." He looked back at Jamie, an incredibly troubled look on my face. "It's really, really odd to see her and know...what I know. I've been preparing myself-I knew she was going to be here next year for school. I was afraid I was going to sound really nervous or act really weird when I saw her again."

Jamie recalled Neville telling Gabrielle where Shay was, but he hadn't even flinched when he spoke to her. "You looked perfectly normal to me."

"I didn't feel it." Neville shook his head. "I just can't help thinking..." He stopped and sighed again. "She looks just like Shay." He opened the door and waited for Jamie to walk through, and then he followed her inside. Jamie had the distinct impression Neville was finished with this particular conversation, and so she walked next to him in silence. Most of the school was empty as students celebrated the end of exams outside in the beautiful weather.

"Shay's last class was Transfiguration-let's head that way," Neville said.

Jamie nodded in agreement, and they headed up the stairs. They hadn't gone more than three steps when Gabrielle herself appeared at the top of the stairs. "Jamie!" She bounced down the steps. "I was going to look around upstairs, but there are so many corridors!"

Jamie smiled. "It's easy to get lost when you don't know where you're going."

"Can I come with you?" Gabrielle asked.

Jamie shot a quick look at Neville. He looked at her and shrugged. "Sure," he said. His voice sounded as normal as it had earlier, but Jamie now noticed that his forehead had broken out in sweat. "We're just...looking for Shay."

How awkward would that be for Neville, to see Shay and Gabrielle together? How strange for Shay? Jamie wondered. She held out a hand for Gabrielle. "Come on."

"Thank you." Gabrielle took hold of Jamie's hand and looked up at Neville. "I don't think I have met you before, yes?"

"Um, yes. I mean no, you haven't met me before. I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom."

Gabrielle grinned at him. "I am Gabrielle Delacour."

It was a historic moment for Jamie-she had just witnessed Shay's parents actually meeting for the first time. She was snapped out of this thought when Gabrielle turned to Jamie and said, "Is he your boyfriend?"

Neville flushed and Jamie laughed. "No! He's my friend. Shay is my boyfriend."

"Ohh."

"Come on." Shaking her head to herself, Jamie headed down the corridor toward the Transfiguration classroom. They hadn't gone far when they saw Shay coming in their direction from the other end of the corridor.

"There he is. Shay!" Jamie raised her voice to get his attention.

Shay smiled and waved, heading down the corridor toward them. Jamie started to move forward, but was pulled to a halt by Gabrielle. She frowned and glanced down at the girl. She stood stock-still, wearing a confused expression, and she was squinting at Shay as if she couldn't see him properly. "Gabrielle? What's wrong?"

"Shay..." Gabrielle trailed off and rubbed her eyes with her free hand. "That...he looks strange."

Jamie froze and looked carefully at her approaching boyfriend. It looked like Shay, but... She quickly pulled Gabrielle around to face her and said urgently, "What do you see, Gabrielle?"

"I don't know...he is...blinking."

That was all Jamie needed to hear. She must have learned. Fleur must have taught her. She released Gabrielle and yanked out her wand, aiming it at Shay, who was now less than two yards away. "Don't move."

Shay stopped and frowned at her. "Jamie, what are you doing?" One hand was stuck into his robe, presumably near his wand.

"I said don't move," Jamie snapped, as Shay's arm began to creep out of his robe. "Who are you?"

Shay stared at her as if she had lost her mind. "It's me, Jamie."

Jamie felt a bit of doubt. It certainly looked like Shay, and sounded like him...but she knew better than to take chances, especially with something Gabrielle said. And given that he wasn't even glancing at Gabrielle or Neville, not acknowledging that they were there... "No, what's your full name?"

"What kind of question is that?" Shay asked.

Jamie felt Neville shift slightly behind her, and then his own wand appeared in her peripheral vision. "Just answer it."

"Shay Long," he answered slowly.

Wrong answer. Jamie opened her mouth to shout a curse at him, but Shay-or the imposter Shay-lunged forward, and her curse blew by his head. He slammed into her, knocking her to the floor, and pressed something into her hand.

Jamie was vaguely aware of Neville shouting something, and Gabrielle screaming, but then she felt a jerk behind her naval. As her stomach lurched sickeningly, she realized that whoever this was, he was taking her somewhere with a Portkey.

"Will! Ron! Where'd everyone else go?" Breathless, Hermione threw herself down beside the two boys.

"Dumbledore wanted to see Harry, and Neville and Jamie went to find Shay," Ron replied, skipping a stone across the water.

"Oh...well...I have something to tell you...I think I figured it out..."

Hermione, Will noticed with a puzzled frown, looked very excited about something. There was a glint in her eyes that she usually got when she had just found a solution to a particularly difficult problem. "What did you figure out?" he asked.

"Molly! Molly and Tonks...she's Nora, Will! Tonks is Nora!"

"Nora...you mean, the Nora that was watching Molly the night Remus died?" Will asked, bemused.

"Yes! I'm almost sure of it! Nora is her nickname-I didn't know that before I saw the note...oh, just listen for a minute." Hermione drew a deep breath and looked intently at Ron and Will. "We were assuming that Voldemort had killed Tonks in the original timeline, because, if Tonks were alive, she would have surely gone to the Order and told them the truth about things...she would have told them she didn't kill Dumbledore, right?"

"Probably," Ron said, exchanging confused looks with Will.

"All right. Well, what if Voldemort didn't kill Tonks? What if he captured her? What if he kept her alive? He keeps prisoners in Azkaban now, and he did the same thing in the other timeline; what if she was in Azkaban?"

"And what? She escaped?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"Maybe! I mean, she might not have been in Azkaban, but there had to have been some reason that she wasn't talking to the Order!" Hermione took another deep breath. "Jamie said that when Nora came over to Remus's, they went into another room and talked for a long time. Then Remus came out and told Jamie that Nora was an old friend of his, and she had important information that you needed." Hermione looked at them intently for a moment. "Think about it! She had important information that you needed, Will. What kind of information would you need? You would need to know what really happened. Remus was helping you track down the Time-Turner. He was going to travel back in time with you, but he died. He never had the chance to tell Jamie whatever it was that Nora-Tonks-had told him."

"So..." Ron said slowly.

"Molly. It's all about Molly," Hermione said. "Don't you see?"

"Molly met Tonks," Will said slowly. So there was a link between Tonks and Molly to explain why Molly was drawing Tonks-if Tonks really was Nora. He still wasn't quite sure where this was going, though. "But Hermione, Molly met a lot of strangers. And if it was Tonks, she was only there for an afternoon."

"Exactly!" Hermione exclaimed. "Something made Tonks stick out in Molly's mind. Now, why would Tonks have left Molly? Molly was found asleep in a cupboard. Now, from what I know of Molly, she doesn't make a habit of crawling into cupboards and falling asleep. I would bet anything that Tonks put a sleeping spell on her and left her there."

"But why?" Ron asked.

"Think about it! Why would Tonks do something like that?" Hermione returned.

"Tonks...would have left if there was some sort of danger," Will said slowly. He frowned. "A danger to herself, maybe..."

"Who knows what it was?" Hermione said. "Maybe she was being followed. Maybe Tonks realized she couldn't stay at Remus's, and so she hid Molly to keep her safe."

"That still doesn't explain why Molly was drawing Tonks so much-or Kreacher," Will said.

"Maybe it does." Hermione's eyes traveled to something behind Will, and he turned and saw that she was staring at the Whomping Willow. "The Memory Transfer Spell."

"What?" Ron asked.

"The Memory Transfer Spell," Hermione said impatiently. "It's...Ron, I just told you that every time I see the Whomping Willow, I see the memory you gave me. It's sovivid." Her gaze focused on Ron and Will again, and she bit her lip. "Tonks had important information," she repeated. "She left Remus's house, possibly because of a danger to herself or Molly. What would you have done in that situation? If you knew something that the rest of the wizarding world didn't know-"

"Remus knew," Ron pointed out. "Whatever Tonks knew, she told Remus."

"She had no guarantee that Remus would live," Will said softly. He thought he knew where Hermione was taking this. He turned wide eyes on her. "We never had guarantees about anything. If there's one thing we learned, it's that you always have a back-up plan."

"Exactly. I think if I had been in that situation, I would have wanted to do something to preserve what information I had," Hermione said significantly.

"You think Tonks-Nora, Tonks, whatever-did a Memory Transfer Spell on Molly?" Ron asked in disbelief.

"Well, it would make sense!" Hermione replied. "Molly drew Tonks for two days straight after she saw Tonks on the Reciprocated Mirror from Christmas. Yes, I know she was around Tonks while she was at headquarters, but you have to imagine that Tonks looked different when she came to see Remus in the future. Jamie didn't recognize her, so it stands to reason that Molly wouldn't, either. But maybe, when Molly was watching the Christmas recording, she saw or heard something that made her realize that Tonks and Nora were the same person."

"Where does Kreacher fit into it, though?" Will asked.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. Molly was wary of Kreacher from the moment she saw him. Maybe Tonks knew something about Kreacher; maybe, if she did leave memories in Molly's mind, there were memories of Kreacher." She stood to her feet determinedly. "There's only one way to find out, though. We need to go to headquarters. And since this involves Tonks...I think we should talk to her."

St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries was a familiar place to Harry; he had spent a lot of time there the Christmas of his fifth year, when Mr. Weasley was hurt. He had never seen the part of the hospital that Ginny was staying in, though. He had to go through several security points before being allowed in her room. First, he had to register his wand. Then he had to pass by a burly wizard who ensured that his name was on the list of approved visitors-it didn't matter that Dumbledore was there. He half expected to be fingerprinted and photographed, like with the Muggle police. He did notice Reciprocated Mirrors lining the hallways. There was also a password to get into Ginny's room, which Dumbledore said in such a low tone that Harry couldn't hear it.

After what seemed like ages, Harry found himself standing at the bottom of Ginny's bed. She had a small room to herself. Despite the high security, the room was bright and cheerful. Paintings of flowers hung on colorful walls, the flowers rustling in an invisible breeze. Real flowers stood in vases beside Ginny's bed, and a vivid quilt was spread on her bed-courtesy of Mrs. Weasley, no doubt.

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were in the room, and both greeted Harry and Dumbledore when they entered. Ginny was lying on the bed, looking as still and peaceful as the last time he had seen her, but before he could go to her, Mrs. Weasley had pulled him into a tight hug. "Harry!" She whirled on Dumbledore. "I thought I told you not to bring him! This could be dangerous! Harry, I must insist-"

"I'll be all right, Mrs. Weasley," Harry said firmly.

"No, we can't let you do this. Besides, you're not of legal age to make a decision like this without your guardian's consent."

Harry gave a choked laugh. "Mrs. Weasley, all of my guardians are dead. Besides, I'll be seventeen next month." He wasn't going to sit around for a month just waiting to be of legal age.

"I believed that this was his decision to make, Molly," Professor Dumbledore said quietly. "Now, Harry, I think it's time to tell you exactly what you will be doing."

Mrs. Weasley whirled on the headmaster. "You haven't even told him? You let him make this decision without knowing what-"

"It's not his fault-I insisted on coming. I don't care what I have to do," Harry said firmly.

"Harry, this could be quite dangerous," Mr. Weasley said. His eyes traveled from Harry to his daughter, then back again.

Harry thought he saw the dilemma. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley wanted Ginny awake more than anything, but they weren't willing to let him go into a dangerous situation to do so. "I'm going to do this," he stated. "I know Ginny's your daughter, but she's..." he looked at the ground for a moment, and then met Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's eyes. "I'm empty without her," he said simply.

Mrs. Weasley's eyes filled with tears, and she squished Harry in another hug. "Harry..."

Harry pulled away from Mrs. Weasley and went to sit beside Ginny. He took her hand and looked over at Dumbledore. "Tell me what I need to do."

Will, Hermione, and Ron found Tonks alone in her classroom. Once she heard what they had to tell her, she agreed to get permission to take them to see Molly. She disappeared for a short while, and when she came back, she said, "Professor Dumbledore isn't here, but I've let Minerva know we're going." She carefully set a tin cup on her desk. "We're using a Portkey. Ready?"

Within seconds, they were in the empty kitchen at Grimmauld Place. "Hello!" Tonks called. "Anyone here?"

"Nymphadora?" Remus's voice preceded him into the kitchen. He looked puzzled when he saw everyone standing by the kitchen table. "What's going on?" he asked worriedly.

"We're here to see Molly," Will said quietly. "Is she-" His question was left unasked when Molly herself peeked her head into the kitchen. Her eyes lit up, and a grin crossed her face, startling Will. He had, of course, seen her smile several months earlier, and Mrs. Weasley's reports said she had continued smiling, but he still wasn't used to it. "Hello, Molly bear," he said, scooping her up. She gave him a fierce hug, and then squirmed out of his grasp and ran to Ron and Hermione. She held onto Ron's robes until he picked her up, and then she settled into his arms, turning her grin on Tonks. Tonks returned the grin, then stepped aside to talk quietly with Remus.

Hermione hid a smile and smoothed Molly's hair back. "Hello, sweetheart."

"Hey, are my parents here?" Ron asked.

Remus looked up from his conversation with Tonks. "No, they're at St. Mungo's, visiting your sister."

"So..." Hermione looked at Ron and Will. "Are we going to try this?"

"Tonks?" Will asked.

Tonks turned around. "I've explained things to Remus. I think we're ready." She reached out toward Molly, and Molly willingly moved from Ron's arms to Tonks'. Tonks sat Molly on the kitchen table and smiled kindly at her. "Molly, we're going to check something. I'm going to put my wand right here on your head, all right?" She touched Molly's temple. "It won't hurt at all, I promise."

Molly gazed at Tonks trustingly. Tonks pulled out her wand and carefully set it on Molly's temple. "Let's see if your theory is right, Hermione. Recuperso Transfero Memoria."

For an instant, nothing happened, and Will was certain Hermione had been wrong, but the next moment, an image of a woman appeared in the air beside the table. She seemed to be in her forties, though the deep lines on her face made her look older. Her hair was black, and her dark eyes looked haunted. Molly beamed at the image, immediately wrapping her arms around Tonks' waist.

Hermione frowned, her eyes narrowed at the image. "That's you, isn't it, Tonks?"

"Yes." Tonks' eyes locked on the image as it began to speak.

"Wotcher," a very tired voice rang through the room. Will recognized it immediately as Tonks', though it was a bit more hoarse than he was used to. He wasn't surprised that Jamie hadn't put the pieces together-she had probably only heard 'Nora' speak a little bit. "My name is Nymphadora Tonks, and I'm putting this memory in the mind of this little girl because I have little choice.

"Many years ago-in the 1996 to 1997 Hogwarts school year-it was revealed to Voldemort that I was spying on him. I wasn't sure at the time who had revealed this information, since the only people who knew this were Dumbledore and myself." Tonks drew a deep breath and continued. "Voldemort didn't call me on being a spy at once, but instead devised a plan to kill Dumbledore, and frame me for killing him, soiling my reputation with the Order before he took care of me personally. Voldemort had learned that I was a metamorphmagus, and he eventually figured out the alias I was using to work my way into his ranks.

"Of course, he also knew that I had given him the mirror that he thought was spying on Harry Potter. He did a thorough examination of the spells, and realized anyone who could break the spells would be able to tell who had cast them, and that was one of the things he used to frame me.

"Voldemort...from what I understand, from what I learned during a great many years in prison, he created a potion, and he didn't tell anyone about it. He spent months collecting ingredients for the potion, even sending Death Eaters into the Forbidden Forest to collect virish root, and finding a way to get basilisk skin-"

"Oh!" Hermione and Will exclaimed.

"Malfoy," Ron muttered darkly.

Tonks' voice continued, "-but eventually, the potion was complete. Next came the biggest part of Voldemort's plan. This was something he didn't trust anyone with-not even Severus Snape, who he thought to be one of his most loyal Death Eaters. Voldemort somehow got a hold of something of mine, something he could use to make a Polyjuice Potion."

Ron, Hermione, and Will exchanged significant glances.

Tonks' image continued, "The day before final exams started, he summoned me-or rather, the person I had always appeared as to him-and I had to go; you don't ignore Voldemort, especially when you're working to spy on him. I was caught unawares, though. He threw me in the prison he had been working to set up, guarded by the dementors.

"Then, taking on my appearance, he snuck into the school. He must have avoided those who would be able to tell who he was-Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore, to name two. He managed to slip the potion he had created-which was undetectable, due to the virish root-into Dumbledore's morning pumpkin juice. It took a little while to work, but at just the right moment, Dumbledore received a message asking him to see me in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He went, and met Voldemort, in my form. He never had a chance to do anything-he died only moments later, in my classroom. From what I understand, it appears that he was burned from the inside out, a side effect of the basilisk skin. Not only that, but the Reciprocated Mirrors kept in my classroom recorded the whole thing, giving the Ministry one more 'proof' that I had betrayed and murdered Dumbledore."

"Once Dumbledore was dead, Voldemort left, but not before sending Draco Malfoy to conveniently find Dumbledore's body and call the Ministry. Voldemort couldn't Disapparate, and he couldn't walk across the grounds with Dumbledore's body without being stopped. Besides, I think he wanted it perfectly clear to everyone that Dumbledore was dead. This was the most convenient way to handle the situation. The Ministry sent people to get Dumbledore's body, and on the way to St. Mungo's, Death Eaters ambushed them. The Ministry workers were killed, and Dumbledore's body was stolen to prevent anyone finding out about the new potion.

"Before too long, Azkaban was taken over by Voldemort, and all of his prisoners were moved there. I was there for years. Years. I was tortured in more ways than anyone could imagine.

"During my years in prison, I also learned who had been leaking information about the Order. It was my Aunt Narcissa. Apparently, when Kreacher, the house-elf in Grimmauld Place, visited Narcissa the Christmas of 1995, she had given him an early prototype of a Gourl-they didn't come out onto the market until the next spring. The Gourl had been modified in much the same way as the Gourl that Dumbledore and I used on Voldemort. Kreacher wasn't aware of what it was; Narcissa told him it was a record of family history, and he should protect it and keep it safe. He did so, which resulted in bits of conversations at Grimmauld Place being picked up by the Gourl, and transferred directly to a second Gourl kept by Narcissa. Kreacher had, of course, been forbidden to give Narcissa any information, but since he didn't realize he was doing it, his magic didn't prevent it.

"When Dumbledore died, Minerva McGonagall apparently became Secret-Keeper, and one day when she said where the Order's headquarters were, the Gourl Kreacher had picked it up. This allowed Voldemort access to Grimmauld Place. He attacked it, captured several members of the Order, and then burned it down, and as far as I know, Kreacher perished in the flames.

"Finally, after a seemingly endless time in prison, I escaped. I had no idea if anyone I had known was still alive, and even if they were, I knew everyone believed I had murdered Dumbledore so many countless years earlier. I hunted around for information, for anyone I had known. Most of the original Order was dead. Harry was dead, but I had learned that while I was in Azkaban. I finally tracked down Remus Lupin. I managed to convince him of my innocence by taking Veritaserum that he had, and then he shared information with me. He had staying with him four children-two belonging to Ron and Hermione Weasley, a daughter that was Harry and Ginny Potter's, and a son that belonged to Neville Longbottom. The children had been kept secret from Voldemort, and since all of their parents were dead, they were living on their own.

"Remus was helping them track down a Time-Turner that Hermione had created. The plan was to go back in time-he was planning on accompanying the children to the past, to the year that Dumbledore had died. He said that their objective had been to stop me from murdering Dumbledore. Now that he knew I hadn't done it, he said he was going to have to introduce me to the children and tell them that the objective had changed. Unfortunately, the same day I met up with Remus, he went with the Potter's daughter-Jamie-to follow a lead on the Time-Turner. I met Jamie briefly, but she never found out who I really was. I wanted to go with Remus, but he said it was essential that I stay put, since he and I were the only ones who had all of this information. I stayed with the youngest Weasley child-Molly-while Remus and Jamie went hunting for the Time-Turner. They were only supposed to be gone for the evening.

"While they were gone, one of the items I had picked up after my escape from prison-one that alerted me to the approach of Death Eaters-began to warn me of danger. I realized that my time was up-they had tracked me down. I imagine Voldemort must have created a Tracking Spell and put it on all of his prisoners, just in case of escape. I knew I was leading the Death Eaters straight toward myself, and I didn't have time to wait for Remus to return. I did the only thing I could think to do. I performed the Memory Transfer Spell on Molly, locking this account into her memory in hopes that she would one day be able to recount it, or that someone would realize it was there and retrieve it. I knew that if the Time-Turner was found, and all went well, Molly would be brought to the past, where this knowledge might make a difference."

The image vanished, and was immediately replaced with another one-a life-size image of Kreacher, and in his hand was a small, silver object, at least half the size of the Gourls that Will was familiar with. Kreacher wore a huge scowl on his face, and Will was immediately struck by the resemblance to the images Molly had drawn of him. A moment later, that, too, vanished, and everyone stared at the empty space where it had been. "Well, that explains a lot," Will whispered. "That's why she drew so many pictures of you and Kreacher." He looked at Tonks.

Tonks nodded, resting her her hand on top of Molly's head. "You're a very smart girl, Molly Weasley. Now, if you'll excuse me, we need to find that Gourl. Remus?"

"We'll help look," Hermione said quickly. "If it's like the one in the image of Kreacher, it doesn't look like a normal Gourl. But then, Tonks-er, the memory of Tonks-did say it was an early prototype."

"First place to check-the boiler," Tonks said, moving straight to Kreacher's cupboard. She opened the door, then knelt on the ground, peering under the pipes of the boiler. "There are some things shoved in the back," she said, sticking her head into the cupboard. There was a crack as she hit her head on something. "Ow!"

Remus covered his eyes with his hand and shook his head. There were more rustlings and several bangs as Tonks bumped into things. "Oh, it stinks in here!" Finally, she gave a triumphant, "Aha!" and squirmed out. She turned around and held it aloft. "I think this is it." The round silver object was not much larger than a walnut.

Remus looked grim. "Let's hope it didn't pick up any of the conversation that was just shared with us."

Will knew what he meant; if the Gourl had picked up what Tonks' image had just said, Voldemort would learn exactly what happened in the future.

"I'll look over it," Tonks said, clutching it in her hand and glaring at it.

"It couldn't have always been in Kreacher's cupboard; we've searched it several times for dark objects he's taken from around the house, and we've never come across it," Remus pointed out.

Tonks nodded. Holding the Gourl out in the air as if it were a piece of dirty laundry, she left the room, mouthing, "Contact Dumbledore," to Remus.

Will turned around and saw that Hermione had picked Molly up and was hugging her tightly. "You did such a good job, Molly. You worked so hard to let us know about Tonks," Hermione said, sitting down at the table and settling Molly in her lap. "Hopefully some of this information will make a difference for our side."

"This is all about connections, Harry," Professor Dumbledore told him. "Voldemort is holding this curse in place through his connection to Ginny. It might be possible for you to break it through your connection to Voldemort."

Harry nodded. "How?" He didn't glance at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, who were sitting nearby. He knew they were both scared for him, and he was already nervous about this. He kept focused on Ginny and Dumbledore.

"You and Ginny are both linked to Voldemort. Now, Ginny is asleep, but her mind is also completely inactive. Voldemort has had to keep her mind asleep so that she would be unable to use her connection to Voldemort to break the spell. Connections work both ways, after all, and were Ginny's mind aware, she might be able to break the curse herself. However, I doubt she has even dreamed since falling under this spell."

Dumbledore was only succeeding in confusing Harry. "So you're saying..."

Dumbledore hesitated, and then looked directly at Harry. "You have learned the Memory Transfer Spell, correct?"

"Yeah, we learned it this year," Harry said.

"I believe that by using a variant of this spell, you and Ginny will be able to connect your minds," Dumbledore said. "It has been done before, but very rarely, because oftentimes it doesn't work, and it must be performed by a third person."

"So...how will this help Ginny? And how is it dangerous to me?" Harry wondered.

Dumbledore looked very grave. "By entering Ginny's mind, there is a possibility that the same curse she is under will influence you, and neither of you will wake." He looked down at Ginny and rested a hand on her forehead. "However, if you and Ginny are sharing minds, there is a chance that you might also share connections. Voldemort might be grounding the sleeping spell, but it is only through his link to Ginny that he is keeping it in place. As I told you, Voldemort is the only one who can break the spell, as Ginny's mind is unaware. However, bringing your connection to Voldemort into the mix might be enough to temporarily interrupt the connection that Ginny and Voldemort share. Interrupting it enough might make it possible for a counter-curse to wake her, thus destroying the spell."

Harry drew a deep breath and let it out. "All right." It sounded so complicated, and he still wasn't completely sure what was going to happen. He was going to go into Ginny's mind...and hope that his link to Voldemort would what? Meld with Ginny's link to Voldemort? That it would be enough to disrupt that link? And hope that it didn't put him into the same sleeping state that she was in? "Wait, Professor-with the Memory Transfer Spell, you end up with the other person's memories permanently. Is that what will happen with this?"

"Yes. That is, it will not be as clear as the Memory Transfer Spell-you will only have impressions of the memories. This is more about seeing the mind in the present. However-Harry, you should know that if you do this, you will forever share a connection with Ginny, similar to the one you have with Voldemort. The two of you might be able to learn to block it off-as with Occlumency-but it will always be there."

Harry hesitated. He understood what Dumbledore said-he was making a lifelong decision not only for himself, but for Ginny. Ginny wouldn't care if she shared a connection with Harry. He was positive of it, and he certainly didn't mind sharing a link with Ginny. "All right. I'm ready."

"I will perform the spell, then," Dumbledore said.

"Harry-" Mrs. Weasley began again.

"I'm going to do this," Harry repeated for what seemed like the dozenth time. He laid down on the bed beside Ginny, facing her so he could see her sleeping face. "What do I do?"

"Relax your mind," Dumbledore said quietly. "And I'll need to borrow your wand. I've already borrowed Ginny's. As soon as I connect your minds, I will attempt to perform a spell to wake Ginny."

Harry handed Dumbledore his wand. The professor touched Harry's wand to Ginny's temple, and then pulled out a second wand-Ginny's. He touched this to Harry's head."Transfero Memoria Totus!"

Harry felt a curious tingling sensation in his head, and a moment later, his mind was overwhelmed with blackness. Though his eyes were wide open, he couldn't make out anything, and he realized that he was seeing what Ginny's mind was seeing. He wondered if she was also viewing his mind, or if the curse on her was preventing that from happening. Was her mind still dormant?

The next moment, his question was answered as a rush of memories flooded his mind. It was hard to make out one from the other. He saw a blur of the Weasley children growing up, Ginny riding the Hogwarts express, sitting under the Sorting Hat, writing in a diary...and himself. He saw himself a lot. The next moment, he heard her voice-and it wasn't inside his head. "Harry?"

Harry's eyes flew open, and he found himself staring into Ginny's confused brown eyes. "How'd you get in the girls dormitories? Why...Hey-my cold is better. Madam Pomfrey's potion worked."

Relief-warm, glorious relief-swept through Harry, and his throat closed up.

"Ginny!" Mrs. Weasley's face appeared above Harry and Ginny, and she grabbed the two of them into a tight hug, as best she could while they were lying down.

"Mum?" Ginny sounded thoroughly confused. She peered around the room. "Dad? Professor Dumbledore? Where am I? What happened?" Her eyes fell back on Harry. "Harry?"

In response, Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny and held her tightly, his face pressed against her hair. Ginny put her own arms around him in return. "What's going on?" she asked plaintively.

Harry pulled back and sat up. Ginny took hold of his arm and sat up with him, and Mr. Weasley immediately came to give her a tight embrace. "I'm so glad to see you awake, Ginny," Harry heard him whisper. He clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Thank you, Harry."

"That didn't take long at all," Harry said. "I thought it was going to be horribly long and difficult...but I didn't feel much of anything. Just memories."

"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Ginny begged.

"What's the last thing you remember, Ginny?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"I went to bed...I had a cold. It was...February twelfth. And when I fell asleep, I saw Voldemort, in my head. He told me...that I was in his way." Ginny's forehead wrinkled in a frown.

"You're in St. Mungo's," Harry said. "Voldemort put a sleeping spell on you."

"What?" Ginny stared at Harry, then whipped her head around to look at her parents. "But...it's February, right?"

"No, dear." Mrs. Weasley smoothed Ginny's hair back. "It's June."

"Today was the last day of exams," Harry said quietly.

"Four months?" Ginny whispered. "I've been asleep for four months?" She sank back against Harry, a dazed look on her face.

"I'm sure Harry and your parents will be able to explain everything, Ginny." Dumbledore smiled and headed toward the door. "I need to take care of something at headquarters. Arthur, Molly-if you would come along when you're finished here..."

"Of course," Mrs. Weasley said quickly. She leaned down and hugged Harry and Ginny again. "We'll be along shortly," she said, sniffling. When Dumbledore was gone, she turned back to Harry and Ginny. "How are you two feeling? Are you hurt? Do you-"

"I'm fine, Mum," Ginny interrupted. "Or I will be, if you explain exactly what happened."

Within a very short time, there was a lot of bustling around Grimmauld Place. Members of the Order started showing up at the door, and before long, Tonks hurried into the kitchen. "Come on, you lot. I'm to send you to Hogsmeade. You're to stay with Fred and Angelina for a short time."

Ron stood to his feet. "Why? Can't you take us back to Hogwarts?"

"Not right now," Tonks said hurriedly. "They'll explain once you get there. You'll be using the floo network, all right?" She walked over to the fireplace and pulled down a pot of floo powder.

"What about Molly?" Will asked.

"She's going with you," Tonks said. "As she can't talk, one of you will have to hold her tightly."

"I'll do it," Will said. He scooped up his sister.

"Right-in order to get to Fred and Angelina's, you're going to say 'Hogsmeade Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, all right?" Tonks held out the pot of powder. Hermione was the first to step forward and take it. "Oh, and you should know-Ginny's awake."

Ron, Hermione, and Will froze. "She's awake? Since when? How?" Ron demanded.

"Since a few minutes ago-Dumbledore just arrived with the news. How-Harry, but you'll have to ask him about it later. He's at St. Mungo's with Ginny right now. Right, you really need to get going now." Tonks shooed Hermione toward the fireplace.

"Why do I suddenly feel completely lost?" Ron muttered, moving forward to take a handful of floo powder.

"We'll sort it out when we get there," Hermione replied. She threw a handful of powder into the fire and stepped forward. "Hogsmeade Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes," she said clearly. Ron followed suit, and Will stepped up to the fireplace last. "Thanks for everything, Tonks."

"I don't see how I did much, but you're welcome just the same."

Will grabbed a handful of powder with one hand and tossed it into the fire. Molly's fingers dug into his arms as he stepped into the fire-she had only traveled by the floo network a couple of times, and it always seemed to make her nervous. "Hogsmeade Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

The kitchen dropped away from him in a rush of movement, and moments later, he popped out of the fireplace in Fred and Angelina's store. Hermione, Ron, Angelina, and Gabrielle were standing there, and to his bafflement, so was Neville.

Hermione turned to Will grimly. "Jamie's gone."

Chapter Thirty ~ Family Secrets

"What?" Will stared at Hermione in disbelief. "How?" Molly squirmed out of his arms, and as soon as he set her on the ground, she ran to grab Ron's legs.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know; Neville just told us." She turned to Neville for an explanation, but before he could speak, Fred hurried into the room. "Ange, I need to talk to you."

Angelina nodded. "Just a moment." She turned to the group in front of her. "I need all of you to follow me." She led them out of the back room and stopped at in front of a wall. She whispered something under her breath, and a door appeared. Angelina opened it. "Wait in here until Fred or I come to get you," she said. She hurried them inside, and then shut the door. It was still visible from the inside, but Hermione guessed that it had again disappeared on the outside.

"What was that all about?" Ron asked, frowning. "Never mind. What happened?" he asked Neville impatiently.

"Where's Shay?" Will asked.

"He's in the hospital wing," Neville said. "And as for what happened...I'm not entirely sure. Jamie and I left the lake to go find Shay, and we came across Gabrielle." Neville shot the small girl a sideways glance. "She asked if she could come with us, and a minute later, we saw Shay walking down the hall. Then Gabrielle stopped and said that Shay looked strange...she said he was blinking."

Hermione immediately noticed the odd, closed look that came over Will's face, and he looked carefully at Gabrielle. "What did Jamie do?" he asked.

"She pointed her wand at him and told him not to move," Gabrielle piped up.

"She asked him what his full name was, and he said Shay Long," Neville said quietly. "I had my wand out, too, but...he was so close, and before we could do anything, he pounced on Jamie and grabbed her hand. I saw that he was holding something. I tried to curse him, but before I had the chance, he and Jamie both disappeared. I think it was a Portkey."

Hermione was still watching Will closely. "If it wasn't Shay, then who was it?" she asked.

Will looked up. "I don't know."

"But you know something," Hermione persisted.

"I..." Will shifted awkwardly. "I can tell you that someone was using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Shay."

"How do you know?" Ron asked.

"You are Shay's best friend," Gabrielle said suddenly.

"Yes," Will looked at her, and Hermione saw understanding in both of their eyes. They each knew the other person knew...something. Something that Will wasn't disclosing. "I...I can't... I promised Shay a long time ago I wouldn't say," he told Hermione.

"If it's something that can tell us what happened to Jamie-" Ron began.

"It's not," Will said quickly. "I mean, I'm sure the Polyjuice Potion is, but this..."

"Gabrielle...said that Shay was blinking." Hermione stared from Will to Gabrielle and back. "She could see that he was using Polyjuice Potion. How? Is it because she's part veela?" Gabrielle didn't know that Shay was her son, but she did know that he was part veela. Someone who had veela blood could always tell when another had veela blood. She turned on Gabrielle. "Can you see through Polyjuice Potion?" If that was true, then why hadn't anyone known about it before? It would be an amazing breakthrough in the wizarding world... It would be...well, enormous!

Gabrielle pressed her lips together and rocked back on her feet. "I am not supposed to talk about it."

Hermione sighed in frustration. Gabrielle wasn't supposed to talk about it, Will had promised Shay he wouldn't...this was something big, and she thought that there was more to it than Polyjuice Potion. "All right, Will, if you're sure that someone was Polyjuicing Shay-"

"I'm positive," Will said quickly.

"Then how did he end up in the hospital wing?" Hermione asked Neville and Gabrielle.

"We looked around for him, and found him unconscious in a broom cupboard near the Transfiguration classroom. Madam Pomfrey said it looks like he was hit with several Stunning spells-she said he won't wake up until tomorrow, at least," Neville explained.

Hermione closed her eyes. So Shay had been Stunned by someone, who probably then used Polyjuice to take on his appearance in order to get to Jamie. And then there was the Portkey. "Whoever made the Portkey had to have done it from inside Hogwarts," she said slowly.

"Why's that?" Ron asked.

"As you'd know if-"

"-I'd read Hogwarts, a History-" Ron interrupted.

"-Portkeys can be used on Hogwarts grounds. We know that. But, they have to be created on Hogwarts grounds in order to work. No one can Portkey into Hogwarts, only out. The only exception is the headmaster's office. If the headmaster creates the Portkey, then it's possible to use it to appear in his office," Hermione said. "And aside from the Portkey...if someone was using Polyjuice Potion...well, this is horrible. Think of everything we just heard from Molly's memory-Dumbledore was murdered when Voldemort used Polyjuice Potion to sneak into Hogwarts."

"I don't think I'll be eating or drinking any Hogwarts food for a while," Ron muttered, rubbing his forehead. "What if something's poisoned? It seems that Voldemort changed his plans, but he still created the potion, at least as far as we know. We don't know if he'll use it or not. And where's Jamie?"

Neville shrugged helplessly. "I think that's what the Order is trying to figure out. Angelina's been running back and forth and has made several calls from her fireplace. Fred was gone-he just showed up, but Angelina wouldn't tell us anything except to stay in this room."

"This room is part of the Order's underground," Gabrielle said knowledgeably.

"The Order's what?" Hermione asked.

"The Order has different places where they have secret rooms, so if anyone is in trouble, they can hide them until danger has passed," Gabrielle said. She shrugged one shoulder. "At least, that is how Fleur told it."

"I didn't know that," Hermione said in surprise. "Did you?" she asked Ron and Will.

Ron shook his head, and Will nodded. "There were places like this in the future, though it was hard to find people who still had them."

Ron frowned and moved toward the door. "Ron? What are you-" Hermione stopped when Ron pulled an Extendable Ear out of his pocket. "Never know when one of these might come in handy," he said. He squatted down and pressed one end against the door, and the other in his ear. "I can hear Fred and Angelina," he whispered. "Something's going on...Fred says most of the dementors have left Azkaban."

"Why?" Hermione asked.

"Shh." Ron waved a hand at her. "Azkaban...is still being guarded by giants...but Snape sent a report...the Death Eaters have been called to Azkaban...You-Know-Who is there." He looked over his shoulder. "And so is Jamie."

Hermione's heart clenched in her chest. Voldemort would torture Jamie until he had pulled every scrap of life out of her, and then he would probably kill her.

"Jamie is...in Azkaban?" Gabrielle whispered, looking horrified. "With giants and dementors and... Death Eaters?"

She sounded more upset about Death Eaters than she did about dementors and giants, but Hermione had to remind herself that it had been Death Eaters that killed her parents, and that she had run into on a London street.

"The dementors...are attacking!" Ron exclaimed in surprise. "Fred says they didn't just leave Azkaban...they're attacking London...and Bristol...right out, attacking Magical Law Enforcement has been dispatched, but Dumbledore has called members of the Order to aid-" Ron stopped abruptly and jumped back, shoving the Extendable Ear back into his robes. "Footsteps," he hissed.

A moment later, the door opened and Fred poked his head into the room. "Angelina and I have to leave. You lot stay here." Before they could reply, he shut the door again.

They exchanged glances. "Voldemort sent the Dementors out to draw everyone away from Azkaban. He's trying to keep Dumbledore busy," Hermione said.

"But the Dementors are attacking Muggles," Neville said, horrified. "This is..." He shook his head, seemingly unable to find sufficient words to describe it.

Hermione looked grim. "I wonder if Harry and Ginny know about all of this."

"Please, Mum! I don't want to stay here! I'm fine!" Ginny pleaded with her mother's retreating back.

Her mum turned around. "No, Ginny. You've been awake for less than half an hour! Until the Healers clear you to leave, you are to stay right where you are. And Harry's going to stay with you-you heard Dumbledore. This is one of the safest places you can be right now. Now, I have to leave, but you two stay put."

"Can you at least ask Dumbledore if we can send a letter to Ron and Hermione?" Ginny asked.

"I'll ask him if I have the chance." Ginny's mum walked out the door and shut it firmly behind her.

Frustrated, Ginny turned back to Harry. "I can't believe this!" She felt so incredibly disoriented. First she had woken up, only to learn that it was June. Then she had discovered that in awakening her, Harry had connected them in a way that she didn't really understand yet. In the hustle that followed, Harry was able to quickly fill her in on the important points that had gone on since she had been asleep, including what had happened-or not happened-with the Veritaserum. And shortly after that, she had found out that Jamie had disappeared from Hogwarts with someone who looked like Shay, but according to Dumbledore, wasn't Shay, but he wouldn't explain any more than that.

In addition to all of that, whatever spell Harry and Dumbledore had performed had left traces of vague memories in her mind-memories that weren't hers, but Harry's. She saw him as a little boy, locked in a tiny cupboard under the stairs...being yelled at, told he was nothing, that his parents had been freaks, that he wasn't to speak of anything unusual. She saw him always receiving horrid hand-me-downs, far worse than anything she had ever had to take from her brothers. She saw his life brightening once he learned about Hogwarts, saw him spending time with Ron and Hermione...fighting Voldemort... She had always disliked the Dursleys, but the dislike was quickly rising toward loathing. If they weren't dead, she would have had a lot to say to them.

There were so many memories, and it was all really making her head hurt. Literally-a sharp, stabbing ache in the front of her head was making her wince.

"This is ridiculous! How do they think they'll find her? She could have been taken anywhere!" Harry exclaimed, crossing his arms. "Do they really expect us to just sit here?"

"I-there has to be something we can do," Ginny said, feeling equally frustrated. She tried to set aside her aggravation and disbelief with having lost four months of her life to a sleeping spell, and focused on the situation at hand. Harry was right; she could have been taken anywhere...

The pain in her head sharpened, and she pressed a hand to her forehead. Something was niggling in the back of her mind; she felt as if she had forgotten something, but she couldn't remember what.

Ginny stood carefully to her feet. The last few times she'd stood, she had been very dizzy, and her legs were weak. She felt a bit stronger now, and she moved to stand beside Harry. "We have to find her."

"I know, but we don't even know where to start!"

A sudden image popped into her head: a fortress on an island, and a dark cell...and Jamie. "Azkaban," Ginny whispered, suddenly feeling dizzy again. She grabbed Harry's hand.

Harry frowned at her. "What?"

"I think she's in Azkaban."

"How do you know?"

"I don't...I just know." Ginny sat down hard on her bed, still gripping Harry's hand. "I...I saw it." She shrugged helplessly. "He-" Before Harry could finish, there was a flash of fire, and Fawkes the phoenix appeared on the bed, a letter in his mouth. He dropped it, and Harry picked it up. "It's in Dumbledore's handwriting. 'Fawkes will deliver a letter for you, if you wish,'" he read.

"We have to ask them what they know," Ginny said instantly.

Harry grabbed an ink bottle and parchment off of Ginny's bedside table and scribbled out a quick note, then held it out to Fawkes. "Er...would you take this to Ron and Hermione, please?"

Fawkes took the letter in his beak, and disappeared in another flash of fire.

A sudden burst of flame in midair startled Will, but it quickly faded, and Fawkes the phoenix rested on the ground in front of him, a letter in his beak.

"Fawkes." Hermione frowned and took the note. "It's from Harry. 'Ginny and I are stuck in St. Mungo's...we're not sure where Jamie is, but Ginny thinks she might be in Azkaban. We have to do something. Do you know what's going on?' I need to send a reply. Is there an ink bottle anywhere?"

"Here." Neville pointed at a small cabinet that held paper and quills.

Hermione hurried to the cabinet and began writing a note to Harry.

"We have to get Jamie out of Azkaban!" Gabrielle exclaimed, looking around at Will, Ron, Neville, and Hermione.

"Yeah. And how're we going to do that?" Ron asked in disbelief. "Most of the dementors might be gone, but there are still giants. And Death Eaters! And are we supposed to do? Just waltz up to the doors and ask him to let Jamie go? Yeah, that would..." He trailed off and frowned at Will. "What?"

Will had sucked in a sharp breath without realizing it. His eyes snapped to Gabrielle, then to Ron, Hermione, and Neville. Ask him to let Jamie go...

Gabrielle's eyes lit up, and she glanced around at them. "I can help!"

If we could get inside the prison, there might be a chance...but this is Voldemort. And he's been gathering his force all year. He's sure to have a lot of Death eaters. There's no way Gabrielle would be able to handle that many people at once...And Shay would burst a vein if he knew Will was even considering this. Will shook his head. "No, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle whirled on him. "I can do it! I can help!"

"You don't have the training," Will told her quietly.

"Yes, I do! I have been practicing with Fleur!" Gabrielle crossed her arms and glared fiercely at him.

"Practicing on whom? This is Voldemort we're talking about, Gabrielle," Will said gently. True, Fleur had stood against Voldemort in the future, but she had been older and much more practiced.

"I have practiced on Bill, and on Monsieur Lupin. Professor Dumbledore even allowed me to practice on him."

Will straightened. "You practiced on Dumbledore? How did it go?"

"It was difficult," Gabrielle admitted. "But I have been getting much better at it."

Will bit his lip. If she had been able to control Dumbledore... No. How could he consider this? "It doesn't matter. You're eleven, Gabrielle, and we can't let you do this. Your sister would never allow it. Besides, if you were to be captured-"

"I would not be captured!"

"You don't know that," Will replied.

Hermione, Ron, and Neville watched the exchange, until Hermione burst out, "Will! Gabrielle! What is going on? This is beginning to relate to helping Jamie. If you know something that can help..."

Will hesitated. He had spent his whole life guarding Shay's family secret, promising he would never tell, and he had never broken a promise to anyone.

They had to save Jamie, though. The Order might not be able to do it, if they were busy with dementors. Snape was in Azkaban, but he might not be able to help Jamie either.

Before he could think to reply, Gabrielle spoke. "I can change my voice," she said promptly.

"Change your voice? What do you mean?" Hermione said.

Gabrielle shifted on her feet. "I am not supposed to talk about it, but if it will help Jamie..." She hesitated. "I am part-veela."

"Yes, we know," Hermione said. "And?"

"I am able to...change my voice to...to make people do whatever I want them to do," Gabrielle said. She glanced at the floor and fidgeted with her hair, looking a bit guilty. Will could only imagine how much Fleur had drilled into her the importance of not telling anyone about this.

Ron, Hermione, and Neville stared at Gabrielle, then at Will. "Will?" Hermione asked. "Seeing through Polyjuice Potion? Controlling people? Is there something you want toadd to this?"

"There's more," Will said. "But that's not...now is not the time to explain. Gabrielle is right. She can make people do things, but it takes effort and concentration. The more practiced the wizard she's controlling, the more difficult her task. Still..."

"She's practiced on Dumbledore," Neville said, a frown creasing his forehead. "So you're saying..."

"I might...have an idea," Will finally said. "It will take some work...and some cooperation. We'll need the invisibility cloaks, and broomsticks. Hermione," he turned on her abruptly. "Tell Harry and Ginny if they can get outside of St. Mungo's, I'll Apparate over and meet them there. I have a plan, but we have to move fast. I don't know how much time Jamie has."

It didn't take long before Harry and Ginny were standing outside of St. Mungo's. "Ginny! It's good to see you awake!" Will said. She looked rather pale, and was holding onto Harry's arm. "Are you all right?"

"Just a bit shaky. I'll be fine," Ginny said determinedly.

"It wasn't at all hard getting out," Harry said. "The security is only for getting in. They'll realize she's missing soon, though. So what's going on? Hermione's note didn't say much."

"I'll explain in a few minutes; I haven't even had time to properly explain things to anyone. It'll be easier to do it all at once. We're meeting at Hogwarts' gates. I'm going to Displace both of you-it will be a bit disorienting, and sometimes the first time being Displaced has some bad side-effects..." And the way Ginny looked, Will was half afraid he would put her back into a coma.

"Go ahead," Ginny said.

Will bit his bottom lip, then pointed his wand at Harry. "Deplacio Hogsmeade!" he said clearly. There was a sudden gust of wind, and Harry vanished. Will turned his wand on Ginny and repeated the spell. As soon as Ginny had disappeared, Will again Disapparated, this time to Hogwarts' gates.

When he got there, he found a group of about twenty people standing there, all holding broomsticks and whispering to each other. It looked like Hermione, Ron, and Neville had done their jobs. They were standing at the front of the crowd, Gabrielle right beside Hermione.

"Where are Harry and Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"They should have appeared somewhere in Hogs-oh, never mind. There they are." Will was relieved to see that both Harry and Ginny didn't look affected by the Displacement. They approached the gates, both looking baffled. At the sight of Ginny, awake and healthy, whispers ran through the students.

"Ginny!" Ron swept her up in a hug.

"Oomph...Ron! Hi...why is the Coalition here? Or...why are the older members of the Coalition standing here?"

"I'm about to explain," Will said. He turned around and addressed the crowd. He wasn't used to making speeches-Jamie or Shay would have been much better at it-but he had to do this. It was possibly the most important thing he would ever have to say. "Er...thanks for coming. I've asked you here because Jamie Potter was captured and taken to Voldemort a short while ago. She is being held in Azkaban...and we need your help to rescue her."

"What?" Seamus Finnigan, who stood at the front of the crowd, looked at Will in disbelief. "How are we supposed to get her out of Azkaban?"

"You don't have to help if you don't want to," Will hurried to assure. He had tried to bring only members of the Coalition that were of legal age, though he knew some of them were still sixteen. Their parents would probably all have heart attacks if they knew what he was asking their children to do. "The dementors aren't at Azkaban-most of them, anyway. As we speak, they are attacking various cities-they're attacking Muggles. Azkaban is still being guarded by several giants, and Death Eaters, and we need everyone we can get to help us get into the prison."

"You said Voldemort is there," Samantha Greer of Slytherin spoke up. "How do you intend to deal with him?"

Will drew a deep breath. "I can't explain everything, but I think it's possible to at least put him temporarily out of commission." He took Gabrielle by the shoulder and pulled her forward. "This is Gabrielle Delacour, and if we can get her close enough to whomever is holding Jamie-be it Voldemort of one of his Death Eaters-then she has a chance of holding them off." He was still uncertain about how much of a chance-Gabrielle might have practiced, but in a tense, life-or-death situation where she might possibly have to put her skills to the test on Voldemort, would she be able to hold her own?

Twenty-some skeptical, confused, or disbelieving faces stared at him. "You're kidding, right?" Dean Thomas asked.

"She has a chance of holding You-Know-Who off?" Ernie Macmillan asked, eyebrows raised. "Somehow I find that hard to believe."

"I told you I can't explain everything."

"Will..." Katie Bell looked at him doubtfully. "You've been great this year, but why should we trust you in this? You're asking us to go to Azkaban."

"Because...I know things that you don't," Will said tentatively.

Zacharias Smith of Hufflepuff crossed his arms. "Like what?"

"I can't..." Will looked around at his fellow classmates. He didn't blame them at all for the questions; they needed a reason to believe this was possible. He couldn't tell them all about Gabrielle; the more people who knew at this point, the more danger she could be in.

Will took a deep breath. "I know things because I'm not...I'm not from this time." It didn't matter if he told now. He had to rescue Jamie, and if this is what it had come to, then so be it. Even Shay would agree with that. If they didn't get Jamie away from Voldemort, he would probably learn everything she knew anyway. "My name isn't Will Warren. It's Will Weasley." He shot Ron and Hermione a sideways glance. Both of them looked rather startled by his sudden announcement. He turned back at the crowd in front of him. "Jamie is my cousin."

Dead silence met his words, and every single eye was fixed upon him, shock on every face.

Will continued before anyone could say anything, "So I know. I know that Gabrielle might be able to help us, even if I can't tell you why right now. You don't have to come if you don't want to, but if you are coming, I need you to do it now. We've already wasted a lot of time. I can't guarantee that we'll be successful...I can't guarantee anything." He was asking so many people to attempt to rescue one person. What if they lost their lives? What if half of them lost their lives? "I don't..."

Will was surprised when Blaise Zabini stepped forward. He looked at Will appraisingly for a long moment, and then turned and addressed the other students. "Well, you heard him. Are we going to do this or not? What have we been practicing for all year? This is what it's about. We've stood against Voldemort's supporters in our own House. It looks like it's time to take that fight out of Hogwarts. Yes, I'm sure we all have a lot of questions, but this isn't the time to talk-this is the time to act. So everyone who's coming, step forward now."

Many of the students exchanged glances, but all of the Slytherins, several Gryffindors, and one Hufflepuff immediately stepped forward. They were followed closely by still more students, until every single person had taken a step forward.

Zacharias narrowed his eyes at Will. "I hope you plan on explaining a lot when we get back."

Will drew another deep breath. "All right. Let me tell you what I have planned."

Will had never before Displaced so many people at once. He sent them to St. Thomas, the closest town to Azkaban. The prison was just too far out to sea to be seen from the town, and it was protected from Muggle eyes anyway. Some of the students had Apparition licenses, and simply Apparated to St. Thomas.

Will sincerely hoped that the students he was Displacing wouldn't end up appearing in the middle of the town or in the local bakery or something. Not that it really mattered at this point-dementors were attacking Muggle cities. The wizarding world was going to have a difficult time covering all of this up, if they even tried.

They decided everyone would meet at the harbor in St. Thomas. Will Displaced Harry and Ginny first, at Harry's request. They had just come through a successful Displacement, so he thought it safe to send them along first, so they could watch out for others.

When he came to Blaise, the Slytherin gave him a half-smile. "You came to school with Shay."

Will had realized that when he said who he really was, Shay's identity would probably come out too, but it was too late to do anything about that. He nodded.

Blaise nodded in understanding, then waved his hand at himself. "Well...do whatever you have to do."

Will pointed his wand at Blaise. "Deplacio St. Thomas." He moved on to Samantha Greer, but she shook her head. "I got my Apparition license at Christmas." She smiled grimly and disappeared with a loud crack.

When everyone else had gone, he closed his eyes tightly and Disapparated, wondering exactly what he was getting them into.

He appeared in the middle of a group of very startled fishermen. He heard shrieking, and turned to see a woman beating Samantha around the head with a large black purse. Samantha held up her broomstick in defense. Katie Bell and Hannah Abbott were already gathering up the other students who had Apparated, and Will hurried forward to help.

Once they had managed to get away from the frightened or hysterical Muggles, they went to the harbor to meet those who had been Displaced. According to Harry and Ginny, three students had passed out because of the Displacement, but they had been able to charm them awake. By the time everyone had gathered, Will estimated it had been already been about an hour and a half since Jamie had been stolen away by Portkey. It was amazing what had happened in that time...Ginny had awoken, memories had been found in Molly...it was so little time, and still far too much. Who knew what had already been done to Jamie?

"Everyone ready? Mount your brooms...Gabrielle, you stay near me while we're flying," Will said. "Azkaban is directly west of here. We won't miss it." He climbed onto the school broom that Ron had brought for him, grimacing as he did so. Flying always brought on the memory of the broken bones he'd received the first time he got up the courage to mount a broom.

Around him, brooms were shoved up into the air. Will's feet left the ground, and his stomach lurched sickeningly. He heard cries and yells, and looked over his shoulder to see Muggles gaping at them.

Harry pulled forward to the front of the group. "Let's go."

Almost as one, they turned and followed Harry's lead, skimming across the ocean, toward one of the darkest fortresses in the wizarding world.

Chapter Thirty-One ~ Azkaban

The familiar feel of Harry's Firebolt beneath him, the cold wind blowing through his hair, and Ginny beside him on her own broomstick brought a sense of normality and comfort to a strange and horrible situation. Harry had so many thoughts running through his mind, and so many feelings muddled inside. He was happy that Ginny was awake, scared for Jamie, and worried for the members of the Coalition that were heading toward Azkaban. There were so many things to process. Several things were foremost on his mind-one being Ginny. Yes, she was awake, but what affects had the sleeping spell had on her? How had she known that Jamie was in Azkaban? Harry could have guessed that Jamie was there, but Ginny had said she knew. Did it have something to do with the spell Dumbledore had done on Ginny and Harry?

And then there was Gabrielle. Hermione had only had a chance to briefly tell him and Ginny what had gone on between Gabrielle and Will, and what they had said about Gabrielle being able to control people. "Do you have any idea how completely crazy this sounds?" Hermione had asked, her forehead creased. "When Will left to get you, Gabrielle told Ron and me that it's something all part-veela witches and wizards can do. If people who are part-veela can actually control people just by...well, I don't know what Gabrielle meant by 'changing her voice;' I assume it's something similar to the way veela can influence men. I don't know. I've never heard anything like this before."

"I couldn't believe it when I heard it..." Neville said, shaking his head. "The very idea that anyone could control Voldemort...or Dumbledore... it's just...

Hermione nodded emphatically. "It would be...heavens, do you know what it would mean? If it's possible to control Dumbledore and Voldemort...can you imagine how dangerous that could be? Can you imagine the consequences? I don't know the extent of this...I don't know how it works. I'm still trying to absorb the information that any of this could be possible. I mean, I know that part-veela are rare...and they only started intermarrying with witches and wizards within the last century-there was a huge uprising about it in 1910-"

"Hermione," Ron said exasperatedly.

"My point is-how could we not have known about this?" Hermione wondered.

Ron shrugged. "I dunno, but what if Gabrielle can't do...well, whatever it is Will thinks she might be able to do? Back at Fred and Angelina's, Will seemed a bit worried about Gabrielle's capabilities," he said, furrowing his brow.

"We might not understand it," Ginny spoke up, "But what choice do we have? If Will thinks it's even possible, then we have to trust that. We can worry about the details later."

Harry glanced over his shoulder at Gabrielle. The small blonde girl was flying between Will and Ron on a borrowed school broom. Will had definitely made it sound like a lot was resting on Gabrielle's shoulders. He hated going into something feeling like he was still in the dark, but what choice did he have? Ginny was right; he was going to have to trust Will in this. Trust...it seemed this whole year had been a lesson in trust.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Ginny gave a sudden cry, and dropped out of his line of sight. Harry whirled his broom around and saw her taking a dive straight toward the ocean.

"Ginny!" Harry leaned forward, urging his broom toward her, but Neville reached her first. He caught the front of her broomstick on his, halting its fall toward the water, then held Ginny's broom steady with his hands.

Harry held up a hand, bringing everyone to a halt, and then zoomed down beside Ginny and Neville. Ginny was leaning forward on her broom, her palm pressed against her forehead. "Ginny? What's wrong? What happened?"

Ginny looked up, and Harry was struck full-force with a sudden rush of pure elation. It was a feeling he recognized...it was the same way he had felt whenever Voldemort was happy about something. He couldn't be feeling Voldemort's feelings, though; he had learned to block them out!

"Harry..." Ginny clenched her hand into a fist and kept it pressed into her forehead. "He's...happy, Harry. Voldemort is happy. I can feel it...he has Jamie...I saw her! I saw her through Voldemort's eyes...I know exactly where she is in Azkaban! She looked... What is he doing to her?"

Harry stared at her for a long moment, Dumbledore's earlier words echoing in his mind. "This is all about connections, Harry."

He was connected to Voldemort...but he had Occlumency lessons to keep that link at bay. Ginny was connected to Voldemort...and now, thanks to the spell used to wake her, she was connected to Harry as well. But Ginny's bond to Voldemort was never like this...she could never feel what he was feeling! That was what my connection...

Understanding dawned, and Harry stared at Ginny in disbelief for a long moment. Somehow, she was feeling what Harry had once felt from Voldemort. In turn, Harry was also experiencing Voldemort's feelings, through his link with Ginny.

What did Dumbledore do to us?

"Ginny?" Ron pushed his way through the crowd of students. "Are you all right?"

"Yes."

"Can you fly?" Harry asked concernedly.

"Yes." Ginny straightened determinedly, though he saw her wince when she thought he wasn't watching.

"Come on. Fly between Neville and I." Harry nodded at Neville, and the two of them took positions on either side of Ginny. They started forward again, and the Coalition followed suit.

It wasn't long before the huge fortress of Azkaban appeared. Harry brought everyone to a stop again, and stared at the prison for a long moment. It was made completely of black stone, dull obsidian that didn't seem to attract any light, and it rose several stories high. As cold as the air already was, the temperature seemed to drop as they neared the vicinity.

Several huge figures towered beside the prison, as tall as Azkaban. Giants, Harry thought. He counted three of them, one in back and two on either side of the prison. It would have been difficult to fit any more on the rock that held the Azkaban, because they were so huge, and the island was barely big enough to hold the prison.

The entrance looked unguarded, but Harry wasn't gullible enough to believe that it actually was unprotected. There were still some dementors somewhere around the prison, and there were Death Eaters...and Voldemort.

Getting past the giants was going to be the first problem, though. It would be nothing for one of them to take several steps forward and block the front entrance. Will had taken this into account when he had been telling them his plan. Harry turned to face his classmates. "All right. There are three giants. That means three teams that will be responsible for keeping them distracted so a fourth team can get through the entrance. We need to decide on groups now. I'm going into Azkaban. So are Will and Gabrielle-" He hesitated. It still felt wrong to be bringing a little girl who hadn't even started school along on this.

"And me," Ginny put in. She stared at Harry determinedly before he could open his mouth to argue. "This is my fight, too, remember," she whispered.

"If Ginny's going, so am I," Ron said.

Harry had expected that, and he looked at Hermione, who raised her eyebrows. "Do you even have to ask?"

"I'm coming too, Harry," Neville said. He looked at Harry for a long moment, the same determined expression on his face, and Harry nodded.

"Look, that will make it about even," Blaise said. "That'll be seven of you going in, and we can make three groups of around the same number. We'll take care of the giants and anything else that comes out of the prison. Right?" he asked the rest of the group.

Numerous voices answered, "Right!"

Blaise turned back to Harry. "We'll get organized, and I'll give you a signal when we're ready. We'll lure them to the back of the island, and you can land at the front and make your way in from there. We'll try to incapacitate them so we can come help you. All right?" He held out his hand.

Harry shook it firmly. "All right."

Hermione waited with Ron, Neville, Harry, Ginny, Will, and Gabrielle at the front of Azkaban. The island sort of sloped upward, and if they stayed at the bottom next to the ocean, they were out of sight of the prison-and anyone watching.

The rest of the students circled around back, headed by Blaise. Everything had happened so quickly; she hadn't even had time to tell Harry and Ginny that Narcissa Malfoy was the spy, and of the memories had been hidden in Molly. She hoped Molly was all right; they had left her in the care of some of the younger members of the Hogwarts Coalition. Colin Creevey and Luna Lovegood had agreed to keep an eye on her. Luna knew who she was because her father was part of the Order. Colin had been curious but hadn't pressed the issue when Hermione said, "It's a long story and I don't have time to tell it right now!"

This close to Azkaban, Hermione would readily admit that she was terrified, but that wasn't going to stop her. She was sure she wasn't the only one who was scared, though most everyone else was doing a good job of hiding it. Gabrielle was possibly the only exception. She was very valiantly trying to look brave, but Hermione noticed that her face was completely pale and she was sweating. She walked forward, broom still in hand, until she was level with the girl. "Gabrielle?" she asked softly.

"Yes?"

"Are you all right?" Will might have meant it when he said that Gabrielle was their chance of rescuing Jamie, but it how could it be right that they were doing this? If something happened to Gabrielle, how were they supposed to explain that they had dragged an eleven-year-old child off on a life-or-death mission? What would they tell Fleur? What would they tell Shay? Yes, Harry had faced Voldemort when he was eleven, but that didn't make it right. He had lost so much of his childhood. Now it seemed like the more that happened, the more childhood Gabrielle was losing.

Gabrielle's jaw tightened, and her eyes roved over Azkaban for a long moment. "This is a very dark place," she whispered.

"Yes, it is," Hermione said quietly, a little thrill of dread running down her spine. She wanted very, very much to be somewhere else-anywhere else. She remembered the haunted look that she had only just seen in Tonks's eyes in the image from Molly's memory. It had been the same look that had been in Sirius's eyes when he had escaped. She didn't know how anyone could have spent years in this place and still been whole.

Gabrielle shivered and averted her eyes. "I am frightened." She swallowed and met Hermione's gaze. "But Jamie is inside. She must be so much more scared than I." She set her small shoulders and took a deep breath. "Will you be near?"

"Of course I will. We all will."

"They'll be signaling soon," Harry said over his shoulder. "Let's get ready."

Hermione dug into her robes and pulled out the invisibility cloak she had collected back at Hogwarts. She had only been able to get a hold of Harry's; Jamie's cloak had been in Shay's possession, and Blaise had been unable to find it in their dormitory. She held it out to Will, who took it and passed it to Gabrielle.

"You're to wear this, Gabrielle. We need to keep you unseen for as long as possible. That will give us the advantage. I'm going to have to stay close to you so you can signal when you're going to voice-change, all right? And by close, I mean I need you to stay right beside me. Also, remember that the invisibility cloak is fireproof."

"It is?" Harry said.

"Yes," Will replied.

Gabrielle nodded, clenching her hands into fists.

"Wait, Will, what does that have to do with anything?" Hermione asked.

In response, Gabrielle held out her hands, palms up. Her brow creased in concentration, and a moment later, a small ball of fire formed above each hand. They grew in size, until Gabrielle clenched her hands into fists, and the fire vanished.

"Er...it's the other part to her part-veela abilities," Will said.

Hermione stared at Gabrielle in astonishment, then turned on Will. "Will!" she exclaimed. "Just how many of these abilities are there?"

"Three," Gabrielle answered. She spoke carefully, as if quoting something she had learned-which, Hermione thought, she had. "Forming fire, changing my voice, and seeing false faces."

Will nodded in agreement. "That's pretty much all there is to it."

Pretty much. Right. Although now that Hermione thought about it, the fire part of it shouldn't have surprised her that much. She had seen full veela at the Quidditch World Cup, and they had been throwing handfuls of fire across the stadium.

"Will," Ginny said slowly. "That's how Jamie got her hair burned off, wasn't it? You once told me that Shay 'accidentally' burned off most of Jamie's hair. I thought you sounded like you were hiding something at the time, but I never thought..."

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you about it," Will said. "It was Shay's prerogative. Right now, I need to tell you what to do when Gabrielle is using her controlling abilities." He looked at them carefully. "All of us are going to have to cover our ears. When she's controlling someone, she has to focus on that person, so they'll get the full blast of it. Even so, anyone within earshot will be affected if it works properly. You'll probably just get a bit dazed or confused, but the best thing to do is avoid it completely-all you have to do is cover your ears."

Hermione had so many more questions brought up by Will's statement, but he was right-now was not the time to ask. She simply nodded with everyone else.

"Ginny? Are you all right?" Harry's asked.

Hermione turned to see Ginny wincing and pressing her fingertips against her forehead. She held her hand there for a long moment, then slowly straightened. "I can feel my connection to him, Harry. More strongly than I've ever felt it in the four years since I was possessed. And it's like nothing I've ever...felt..." she trailed off, grimacing again.

Hermione stared back and forth between Harry and Ginny. Something had gone on in St. Mungo's, but that was another thing that hadn't been discussed yet. She had only a brief idea how Ginny had awakened-something about Harry's connection to Voldemort. Ginny had been acting rather strangely, though, and Hermione wished she had time to discuss everything that had happened to all of them over the past few hours.

"Maybe you should-" Harry began.

"I'm going in," Ginny said firmly. "I'm fine. I just hurt for a moment."

Harry and Ginny locked gazes for a moment, and then Harry nodded and squeezed Ginny's hand.

"This place is huge," Ron said. "How are we supposed to find Jamie once we get inside?"

Ginny shifted slightly. "I...know where she is. I saw her."

Ron narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, you saw her?"

"I saw her through Voldemort's eyes," Ginny whispered. She held up her hand before anyone could speak. "I can't explain now. Please...I don't know how to explain. But I know where she is. She's on the first floor, in the back of the building. I...I can find it."

"Ginny-" Ron began.

Ginny shook her head. "No, Ron." She took his hands in hers and looked at him seriously. "A lot happened to me. I'll do my best to tell you everything-later."

Ron still didn't look happy, but he didn't say anything else. He glanced at Harry, then back at his sister.

Will pulled Gabrielle close and spoke with her quietly for a long moment. Gabrielle nodded, and Will tucked the invisibility cloak around her. Her body disappeared, but her head still floated in midair.

"There. Now we just have to wait on Blaise and the others," Will said.

Hermione turned to Harry, finally speaking a huge worry that had been on her mind from the beginning of this mission. "Harry, what are you going to do if we run into Voldemort?" she whispered. "It's more than likely."

Harry stared at her, then looked down. "What I have to do."

"Harry..." What was she supposed to say? He had fought Voldemort before. He had come out alive on all of those occasions. She just couldn't help thinking that in Will's future, he had fought Voldemort and lost, and he had been an older and much more experienced wizard. It couldn't be impossible, though. There had to be some way Voldemort could be defeated, but how? Voldemort was far more learned.

"Dumbledore..." Harry sighed, then began again. "Dumbledore told me something at the end of last year, just after Sirius died. To tell you the truth, it's not something I've thought of a whole lot this year. I think I put it at the back of my mind once Dumbledore said it. My mind's been distracted by other things."

Hermione nodded in understanding.

"He said I have something Voldemort doesn't. It's a power that is studied in the Department of Mysteries, and he said it was more wonderful and terrible than death, or something of the sort. It's a force so powerful that Voldemort couldn't stand to possess me. He said it was my heart that saved me."

"Love," Hermione said with a nod. "It's something you're full of, something that has left a mark on you-something that has saved you before. Love is a very, very powerful thing-you know that as well as I do-and it's something that Voldemort can't stand. I don't think he has a drop of love in him." She bit her lip. "I just don't know how that's going to help you defeat him."

A flash of blue sparks shone in the air from the rear of the island, closely followed by a shower of yellow and a flare of red from either side. Only moments later, humongous footsteps echoed in their ears, the very ground trembling like an earthquake. "That's the signal." Harry stood up and peered up the slope. "The giants are moving. Let's go."

Will threw up the hood on the invisibility cloak, and Gabrielle's head disappeared. "Stay right beside me," he whispered to her.

They left their broomsticks at the bottom of the slope, and Harry took the lead. Ginny fell into step just behind him. She was trying to keep focused on the mission at hand, because trying to process anything else was very difficult, and she couldn't risk having her mind wandering. She was anxious by the turn of events, and especially by the uncanny feelings she had experienced from Voldemort. How could she possibly have known that Voldemort was happy? How could she have seen Jamie?

Ginny clenched her hands into fists. She had only seen Jamie for a brief moment, but it had been enough to see that she was being tortured.

She was positive this had something to do with Harry waking her. She had seen Harry's memories; was it such a stretch to think it could have gone beyond that? Had she somehow tapped into his link to Voldemort? She wished she had time to figure this out, but she didn't have that luxury right now.

Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Will climbed the slope of the island. Ginny knew Gabrielle was beside Will, though she couldn't see her. As they neared the top of the slope, Harry waved them to a halt and peered cautiously over the rise. "I don't see anyone at the entrance," he whispered.

Ginny rose onto her knees and looked for herself. The door to Azkaban appeared deceptively normal. It was the size of a regular door and it had a handle to open it. As Harry had said, no one stood guard at the door, but Ginny wasn't fooled. Voldemort wouldn't have left it unprotected. She could see the heads of the three giants behind Azkaban, and she also saw several figures high on broomsticks, distracting the giants.

"We don't have a choice," Harry said, as if reading her mind. "We have to go. Wands out. Let's cross."

Ginny felt completely exposed as they rose the rest of the way and crossed the open ground toward Azkaban. The darkness that hung in the air grew stronger as they neared the entrance. Ginny could almost feel the light being sucked out of the air around her.

Surprisingly enough, they reached the entrance without meeting any resistance. When they reached the door, Harry touched his wand to the lock. "Alohomora!" Something clicked, and Harry cautiously turned the handle. The door opened several centimeters.

They exchanged glances, and Hermione resorted to using sign language. 'Is it just me, or is this a little too easy?'

'We're walking into Azkaban,' Harry pointed out, also using his hands to speak. 'You can't get a much bigger trap than this.'

Ginny had learned enough sign language to understand what they were saying, but she was a bit surprised that they were using it so fluently, until she realized they must have practiced during the months she had been asleep.

As soon as they had stepped through the door, it closed behind them and the lock clicked shut. Ginny jumped and glanced over her shoulder, wondering if 'Alohomora' would work if they wanted to leave the prison. Now that they were actually in Azkaban, the stifling, invisible blackness that seemed to surround the prison weighed all the more heavily. Cold fingers gripped her heart, and for a moment, she could have sworn she heard voices whispering in her ear. Terror and despair were thick here. It was enough to suck the breath out of her. From the expression on her friends' faces, she was positive she wasn't the only one who was sensing all of this.

There was one long hallway heading straight toward the back of the prison. It was very dimly lit, and the shadows that filled the corridor left plenty of room for people to be waiting...or dementors.

Ginny swallowed in an attempt to wet her dry throat, but didn't have much success. She tapped Harry on the shoulder, and signed slowly. 'All the way down, then turn left.'

Harry nodded and started forward, treading as quietly as possible. They went by several hallways veering off to the right or left. They were lined with cells, and simply went for a short way and then dead-ended. They were just passing another one when Hermione let out a strangled cry. Ginny whirled around just in time to see her hit the ground face-first. Stepping out of one of the corridors they had just passed was a group of four Death Eaters. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and realized that another four Death Eaters had appeared in the hallway ahead, effectively trapping them.

"Move!" Harry snapped. He shoved Ginny into the corridor beside them. Ron and Neville grabbed Hermione and pulled her in as well, closely followed by Will, and presumably Gabrielle.

"Hermione?" Ron grabbed her shoulders, a frantic note in his voice.

"She's still breathing," Neville said. He pointed his wand at her. "Ennervate."

Hermione's eyes fluttered open, and she groped for her wand. "Ouch."

"Just Stunned," Neville said, relieved.

"Come out, come out, little Potter," a singsong voice rang through the air, and chills ran up Ginny's spine. It was a voice she had heard before, and it was not one she had ever wanted to hear again. It belonged to Bellatrix Lestrange-the woman responsible for putting Neville's parents in St. Mungo's, and the woman responsible for Sirius's death. "You don't think you can hide down there, do you?"

Another familiar voice, this one belonging to Lucius Malfoy, said, "You didn't just think we would let you walk in and out that easily, did you? Oh, you might have had help drawing off the giants, but you still have us to contend with."

Gabrielle's small voice spoke quietly from somewhere to Ginny's right. "My turn."

"There were at least eight of them, Gabrielle. Can you handle that?" Will whispered.

"I will."

"Don't be ridiculous," Lucius's called. "You can't go anywhere down that corridor. It's a dead end. I thought Gryffindor was supposed to house the brave. Come out and face us, if you have the courage."

"Oh, yes!" Hermione called in a shrill voice. "You have so much courage cornering and attacking students!"

"Hermione!" Ron hissed.

A high, almost hysterical laugh was the response. "Awww! The poor babies are trying to be brave!"

"Will!" Gabrielle whispered urgently.

"All right." Will said. He whirled on everyone else. "Cover your ears, and don't uncover them until I do."

Ginny didn't question; she simply clapped her hands over her ears and waited. Within moments, Gabrielle's hand suddenly appeared mid-air in the main hallway, and she waved at them. Will peered cautiously into the corridor, and then stepped fully out. Ginny and Harry exchanged glances, but quickly followed. What met Ginny's eyes was one of the strangest sights she had ever seen. About five yards to both her right and left were the eight Death Eaters, but all of them were just standing there, wands limp at their sides. Their eyes were completely blank as they stared at nothing.

Will kept one hand over his left ear, but quickly pressed his right ear against his shoulder to free up his wand hand. He pointed his wand quickly at the Death Eaters, and one by one, all of the Death Eaters were Stunned and hit the ground. When all eight were down, Will straightened his head and lowered his hand from his ear. Everyone else followed suit. "We should put a Full-Body Bind on them, too," he said quickly. "The Stunning won't last that long."

Neville, Harry, and Hermione immediately set to work cursing the already Stunned Death Eaters, while Ron collected their wands and stuffed dropped them through the bars on one of the cell doors. "Don't want to carry them around," Ron said with a shudder. "They might have weird curses that will go off or something."

"Good thinking," Harry said.

"Gabrielle?" Will asked.

Gabrielle's head appeared, much closer to the ground than Ginny had expected, and she realized Gabrielle was sitting. Her face was dripping with sweat, and she was trembling. "Are you all right?" Ginny asked, kneeling swiftly beside her.

"That was...very hard," Gabrielle said weakly.

"We'll try not to let you do that again," Will said, looking very concerned.

"I can do it," Gabrielle replied, but her voice sounded very small.

"We have to keep moving," Harry snapped. "Come on."

Gabrielle's head suddenly rose higher as she stood, and Will lifted the cloak hood back over her head. They stepped over the fallen Death Eaters, and if Ginny stepped on Lucius Malfoy's face, all the better. They continued cautiously down the hallway, and didn't meet any more resistance. Ginny felt increasingly that she was walking into a trap-Voldemort would have had a failsafe in case his Death Eaters didn't capture them.

They came to the end of the corridor, and Ginny pointed to the left. The side hallway wasn't lined with any cell doors as the others had been. There was only one door at the end, and in her mind's eye, she saw a large room. Harry stopped beside her, his eyes locked on the doorway.

"In there," Ginny murmured, a stab of fear striking her heart. "That's where we have to go. I'm sure of it." Voldemort was in there. She was positive about it. They were about to walk straight into his waiting hand.

Harry clenched his jaw and tore his eyes away from the door. "Let's go. Put up Extended Shields before we go in."

"Extended what?" Ginny whispered.

"It's something Will and Jamie taught us during Easter holidays. It'll last about thirty seconds. Just stay completely behind me and don't move away when we go in, all right?" Harry replied.

Ginny nodded, and they led everyone else forward toward the door. Harry held up his wand and whispered, "Protego Prolongus!" She heard the others whispering the same thing, and then Harry grabbed the door handle. It moved, and the door opened smoothly. Harry pushed it open and stepped through. Ginny stayed directly behind him. She expected the door to slam shut behind them as the front entrance had, but Will stood in the doorway, preventing it from closing.

The glimpse of what was actually in the room would have been enough to make any decent witch or wizard collapse in fright. At least thirty hooded figures stood in a semicircle towards the back of the room. Voldemort's Death Eater ranks had definitely grown.

In the middle of this semicircle were two figures. Jamie was the one curled into a little ball on the floor, her long black hair dirty and tangled. Even from the doorway, Ginny could see that Jamie was shaking all over.

The other figure stood over Jamie. It was someone that Ginny had long seen in her nightmares. The pale skin, the slitted red eyes, the distinct snake-like look to his mouth and nose...here stood the man responsible for more pain, suffering, and terror in the past, present, and future than Ginny could even begin to count.

Voldemort turned slowly at their entrance, and a chilling smile touched his lips. "Well," he said, in a high voice that made Ginny's skin crawl, "I was beginning to wonder if you would show up." His red eyes roved over them, lingering for a long moment on Ginny, who was peering over Harry's shoulder. A pain more intense than any she had yet felt stabbed through her head, and an involuntary cry of pain came out of her mouth. Her knees buckled and she nearly threw Harry off-balance as she grabbed his robes to keep from falling.

Jamie didn't even move, and Ginny wondered how long she had been tortured, that she couldn't even make a motion in her own defense.

"Ginevra," Voldemort hissed. "How lovely to see you...awake. And how unfortunate that you've arrived just in time to watch as I procure more information from yourcharming daughter."

"Leave her alone," Harry said. "It's me you want." Under his breath, he again muttered, "Protego Prolongus," and Ginny heard her friends echoing the spell quietly.

"Of course it is, and I knew you would come." Voldemort fingered his wand. "You haven't learned at all. No, noble Harry Potter cannot leave anyone behind, much to his failing. You have come to your death, Harry Potter, once and for all. And your friends will die with you!" He aimed his wand at Harry and yelled, "Avada Kedavra!"

Ginny could feel how tense Harry was, but he stood and didn't move as the jet of green light flew toward him. It struck the shield and slid off. Voldemort narrowed his eyes. "Clever, Potter, but you are far outmatched and outnumbered. Why don't you surrender now, and I'll kill your daughter quickly-once I've finished extracting information from her, of course. Otherwise...I'll take her apart one piece at a time."

"Let's try-expelliarmus!" Harry shouted.

"Protego!" Voldemort quickly countered. "Enough of this nonsense! Why skirt around the inevitable, Harry? You will die by my hand-tonight!"

"We-" Harry began, but Will cut him off.

"Get ready to run out the door!" Will said. He pointed his wand directly at Jamie. "Accio Jamie!"

To Ginny's astonishment, Jamie's entire body was suddenly lifted off the ground and flew across the air. She had never thought of summoning a person with that spell. By the time Voldemort and the Death Eaters realized what was happening, it was too late. She smacked straight into Will, and he went sprawling backward, halfway in the door, with Jamie on top of him. "Go, go!" Will grunted. "Get her out!"

Neville and Ron hoisted Jamie off of Will and turned, tumbling over him out the door. Will rolled to his feet, but in doing so, stepped out of the doorway. It seemed he really had been keeping the door open, because it slammed shut, just as Hermione was about to go through. She yanked on the handle, but nothing happened. "Alohomora!" she said, tapping the lock with her wand. Again, nothing.

Ginny slowly turned. Voldemort's face was white with a mixture of fury and amusement. "Don't believe for one moment that she'll get very far," he hissed. "Getting out will be much more difficult than getting in, I assure you." He nodded at his Death Eaters. "Take Harry and Ginevra. Kill the other."

Harry immediately stepped in front of Hermione. The Death Eaters immediately advanced, and Ginny fought back a wave of panic. There was no way she, Harry, and Hermione could curse thirty Death Eaters. They might take out some of them, but in the end, they would be overpowered.

That wasn't going to stop Ginny from trying. Harry and Hermione obviously felt the same way, as both instantly pointed their wands at the oncoming Death Eaters. "If either of you have any brilliant ideas, now would be the time to share," Harry said through gritted teeth.

As if in response, two fireballs came soaring from the left. They smacked into two Death Eaters, whose cloaks immediately went up in flames. Ginny's head snapped around, and she caught sight of two more fireballs flying toward the Death Eaters. Gabrielle. So she was stuck in the room too. She must have been sending the fire through the open folds of the cloak, since her hands weren't showing.

Some of the Death Eaters were thrown into confusion, trying to figure out where the fire was coming from. They sent curses speeding in the direction of the attack. Several were busy putting out the fires. The others ignored the distraction and continued to advance on Harry, Ginny, and Hermione.

Two more fireballs went sailing, closer to Hermione, Harry, and Ginny, indicating that Gabrielle was moving. The next moment, Hermione vanished. Ginny blinked, then realized that Gabrielle must have shared the invisibility cloak with her, which was a small relief in this situation. It would be more difficult for the Death Eaters to kill Hermione if they couldn't see her.

The Death Eaters finally surrounded Harry and Ginny. Harry and Ginny managed to curse several of them, but it wasn't nearly enough. Ginny lashed out at the Death Eaters grabbing at her, aiming kicks, punches, and anything else she could manage at them. So did Harry-but it wasn't enough. They were physically grabbed and their wands were taken, and then they were dragged in front of Voldemort.

"Find the others. They can't get out of this room," Voldemort snapped at several of his Death Eaters.

As Ginny was shoved down onto her knees beside Harry, words that Jamie had spoken back in September rang through her mind. "My parents died fighting side-by-side."

Were she and Harry about to repeat the future, ten years early? Was the world about to be set into a cataclysmic chain of events that would lead to Voldemort ruling the future?

No. She couldn't think that way. Things might look hopeless, but she had been in hopeless situations before. Dumbledore was still alive. The Coalition was here; they might be able to do something. Jamie had at least been taken away from Voldemort, and hopefully Will, Ron, and Neville would be able to get her completely away from Azkaban. Hermione and Gabrielle were still loose. They still had several advantages, and maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to save them all.

Chapter Thirty-Two ~ Love Conquers All

"It's no use, Ron! It's not going to open," Neville said as Ron tried for the third time to get the door open.

Ron slammed his fists on the door in frustration. "My girlfriend, my sister, and my best friend are in there! I'm not waiting out here while Voldemort tortures and kills them!"

Will looked up, pale-faced. Gabrielle was also in there, as he had realized when she hadn't answered her name being whispered. "Even if we got the door open, we can't help them that way, Ron. We have to try to find another way to help. Right now we have to get Jamie out of here." He smoothed Jamie's matted hair away from her face so he could get a good look at her. Outwardly, there were no signs of her torture, save for blood that was trickling from her nose. She was unconscious, and Will could only hope that her mind was still intact from the torment she had suffered. "If we can get out of here, we can try to get Blaise and the others. Maybe they've been able to take out the giants. We have to regroup."

Ron gave the door a final kick, fear and anger mingled on his face. He abruptly turned and nodded. "Fine. Let's move, fast."

"Here, help me with Jamie." Will put an arm around her and lifted her front half off of the floor.

Neville bent down. "I can carry her so your wand is free. You know spells that I've never even heard of."

Will nodded and helped hoist Jamie across Neville's shoulders. Ron jerked his head impatiently, and they set off at a quick pace down the corridor. They had just started when the temperature seemed to drop twenty degrees. An icy chill swept across Will, and he stiffened.

"Dementors," Ron whispered.

An instant later the dementors came gliding out of side passages, filing into the long main hall. The corridor was thick with them, so condensed that Will couldn't count them. These were probably all of the dementors left in Azkaban; the rest had all gone out attacking cities. He had never known that this many existed. Fear and hopelessness gripped Will's heart, but he knew that was only because of their presence.

Will was uncertain whether the Patronus Charm would be able to hold the dementors back enough so that they could make it all the way down the hall, but it was the only chance they had. "The Patronus Charm, all together, on three!" Will hissed. "It might only hold them off for a minute-we're going to have to run through them as soon as we set the charm off."

Neville held Jamie in place on his shoulders with his left hand, and gripped his wand with his right. Ron tensed, holding his wand and glaring at the dementors.

The dementors began to glide closer, no doubt sensing the fresh life. Will assumed they'd been told to let the 'prey' in, but to prevent them from leaving. "One...two..."

But on 'two,' a huge crashing sound blasted through the corridor. More crashes followed, and Will was showered with dust and bits of rock. He suffered a shallow cut across his neck, and a gash on the back of his head. The very prison seemed to shake. Will's head whipped around, and he saw dusty sunlight pouring through a hole directly in back of the prison. Just outside, he could make out a huge giant's foot moving away, causing the ground to tremble as it did.

The dementors grew closer, and Will shouted, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" A falcon-shaped Patronus erupted from his wand and charged at the dementors, but Will didn't stop to see how it handled them. He whirled around. "Come on!" he urged Ron and Neville.

They didn't need incentive. All three of them moved toward the new opening in the wall. The giant must have actually kicked the hole, and considering how strong and old Azkaban was, that just showed how powerful the giants were. Ron peered cautiously out of the hole. "Move out! Just stay pressed against the wall. I only see one giant, and it has its back turned." He stepped over piles of rubble and through the hole, then reached back to help Neville through. Will followed last, but even as he stepped out, he knew that the dementors were probably going to follow.

"Wait," Neville grunted. Holding Jamie steady with one hand, he used the other to grip his wand tightly. He pointed it at the hole in Azkaban and whispered something under his breath. Strands of plants burst from his wand and covered the entrance. "We can take it down and get back in if we need to, but it should hold the dementors back for a few minutes. They can't get through solid material, so they'll have to find another exit," Neville said anxiously.

"Good thinking," Will said.

"We have to put Jamie somewhere," Ron said. "We have to help Hermione and Harry and Ginny!"

"And Gabrielle," Neville grunted. His face was red and he was starting to wear out under Jamie's weight.

Will hesitated. The giant Ron had seen was looming in front of them, but the giant's attention was focused on the numerous brooms above him. He was swinging monstrous fists at the students on brooms. Even as Will watched, half of the Coalition members simultaneously dragged their wands in a swish-and-flick motion, which Will recognized as accompanying Levitation. Sure enough, the giant lifted up off of the ground, and the other half of the students used another spell to shove the giant far out over the ocean. The first half of the students dropped the Levitation Charm, and the giant crashed into the sea. A tremendous splash of water followed, shooting far into the air, and a wave washed up onto the island, reaching all the way to Will's toes before it retreated. Will watched as the giant thrashed in the water, to no avail. It was only moments before it sank completely beneath the surface.

Will turned to Ron and Neville. "We can't just set Jamie down somewhere; the dementors could get her."

"Well, what do you suggest?" Ron snapped. "We don't have time to waste, Will!"

"I know," Will said grimly.

Someone must have caught sight of them, because moments later, brooms were alighting all around them. "We managed the giants. Took us ages to find a spell that would work on them-who would have thought 'wingardium leviosa' would work? We finally came up with something after trying to figure out how the giants could have been moved to the island in the first place. They can't swim. They sink like rocks," Filip, a seventh-year Slytherin, panted. "What's going on? Where are-"

"Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Gabrielle are trapped in a room with Voldemort and about thirty Death Eaters," Neville said quickly.

"We have to get Jamie away from here-preferably to a hospital," Will said. "I just-"

"I'll take her," Hannah Abbott offered. "I can take her on my broom back to St. Thomas and use the Knight Bus to get her to St. Mungo's."

Will hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "All right." He and Neville moved over to Hannah, and they hoisted Jamie across Hannah's broom. Will put a Holding Charm on her to keep her in place, and Hannah immediately turned and zoomed out over the ocean.

That settled, Will turned back to the group. "We need a plan to help Harry and the others."

"We can get back in there-" Ron pointed at the vine-covered hole in the prison wall "-but there are dozens of dementors waiting on the other side, if they haven't already moved to find another way out of the prison."

"We can set up a group of us to hold off the dementors with Patronus Charms," Terry Boot said. "We practiced them a lot in DA last year."

Parvati Patil nodded. "We should have two groups, because I've heard doing constant Patronus Charms can take a lot out of someone."

Terry nodded. "Two or three people per group should do."

"We need to get down the hall, back to the room where Voldemort is. Then we have to find a way in," Ron said impatiently.

Everyone fell silent for a moment, and it was Seamus Finnigan who spoke. "There might be a way-thanks to your brothers, Ron."

"What do you mean?"

Seamus dug into his pocket and came out with a handful of bubblegum. "Your brothers made this. Blast-Binding Bubblegum."

"Yes, but what's that got to do with anything? It just-"

"It can blast a hole in things," Seamus said.

"No, it can't," Ron said. "It just explodes and shoots gum everywhere if you try to curse it off of something."

"That's how it was, but Fred and George added something extra," Seamus said. "It's their new line of Blast-Binding Bubblegum. They haven't started selling it yet-I got this on our last Hogsmeade trip. I agreed to test it for them. You chew it, stick it to something, and say 'Weasleys rule,' and it explodes whatever it's stuck to. I doubt it would be able to get through Azkaban walls, but it might be enough to blast the door."

Ron stared at him for a long moment, then grabbed a piece of gum out of Seamus's hand and swiveled around. "Fine, then let's move!"

"Find the others. They can't get out of this room."

Voldemort's instructions to his Death Eaters caused Hermione to freeze, one hand resting on Gabrielle's shoulder. They were moving slowly around the room, away from Voldemort and the Death Eaters who had moved to surround him, being careful not to accidentally yank the invisibility cloak off of themselves. Hermione was beyond being terrified; her adrenaline was pumping and every sense was sharpened.

"Should I throw more fire?" Gabrielle asked in the barest whisper.

"No," Hermione replied, her lips barely moving. "Not yet." It would give their position away. Her mind raced as she tried to piece together a plan. Harry and Ginny were on their knees in front of Voldemort. She had no idea what he was going to do to them, only that it was sure to be horrid, and it would end in death. Voldemort was the main problem. The Death Eaters would be no easy task, but if there was a way to take Voldemort out of the mix... "Can you make Voldemort stop?" Hermione murmured. "Long enough to-" To what? Harry and Ginny were without wands and were still surrounded by at least half of the Death Eaters, while the other Death Eaters were beginning a systematic sweep of the room. "Never mind. Hold off on using your abilities." Curses were now flying across the room from the Death Eaters, and Hermione pushed on Gabrielle's shoulder. "Get down!" she hissed.

Hermione and Gabrielle crouched low to the ground, and at least two curses flew over their heads. Gabrielle grabbed Hermione's left hand tightly and squeezed hard. She didn't have to say she was scared; Hermione could feel it. She carefully stuck her wand at the fold of the invisibility cloak, just inside so it wouldn't appear mid-air. She needed a curse that wouldn't show a visible light that would give away their position, like the Stunning Spell. She drew upon all the knowledge of the last six years of schooling and began throwing curses at the Death Eaters one at a time. She blinded the first, caused the teeth of the second to grow until they ripped through his mask and continued toward his neck, and set boils growing on the face of the third. The more variety of curses she could throw, the harder it would be for the Death Eaters to quickly perform counter-curses. She also struck random Death Eaters, so that they couldn't guess where she was.

She had managed to successfully jinx five Death Eaters-something she was slightly surprised about-when a long, terrible scream came unmistakably from Ginny, and Hermione's heart froze in her chest.

"If you're going to kill us, then do it," Ginny glared defiantly at Voldemort, then pressed both hands over her forehead and looked down, wincing.

At this proximity, Harry's scar seared with pain, though it wasn't nearly as strong as it had been when he faced Voldemort in the past. That was due to the Occlumency lessons, no doubt, and he was grateful for it, since it made it easier to concentrate.

Voldemort stared at Ginny for a long moment, and then pointed his wand at her. Before Harry could even move, he said, "Crucio!"

Ginny fell forward, going completely rigid. A piercing scream ripped out of her mouth, and Harry immediately threw himself sideways, on top of Ginny, before anyone could stop him. Had he been any further from her, the Death Eaters would certainly have grabbed him. As it was, he felt their hands close on his robe as his body got in the way of Voldemort's wand, and thus, the curse. Horrible pain seared through Harry's body, burning his bones, running through his veins. He vaguely heard himself scream, and then the pain abruptly faded as the Death Eaters hauled him back onto his knees. He glanced up to see that Voldemort had lifted his wand and was staring at Harry with a look of contempt on his face. Ginny was breathing hard beside him, but she managed to straighten her body.

"You see, Harry? You are weak. Your feelings for her cloud your sense of self-preservation. How can one be expected to live and survive if one does not look out for oneself? Love is a delusion, Harry."

"No, it's not," Ginny breathed. She looked up and met Voldemort's eyes, "Love...saved Harry, when he was a baby," she gasped. "You tried to get rid of me because I love him. You told me I was a liability, and I stood in your way."

"Well, things change, don't they?" Voldemort said, his hissing voice almost a whisper. "Take, for instance, my curse. I must say I hadn't expected it to be broken. I suspected what happened, but now, I realize I was right." He fingered his wand, staring at Ginny almost as if she were a bug that needed to be squashed. "Dumbledore must have used Harry's connection to me to break the curse, therefore connecting you two. I knew you were coming, Harry, because I sensed it through Ginny's mind."

What was Voldemort waiting for? He had tried to use the Killing Curse on Harry when he first entered the room, why was he taking his time now? Well, he was in complete control now, for one. Harry and Ginny were at his mercy; he could take his time if he wanted to. Besides, he had lost Jamie. He probably thought that Harry or Ginny could give him information about the future.

Harry couldn't see what was happening with Hermione and Gabrielle at all. The circle of Death Eaters around Voldemort made it impossible to see anything. Let them be all right...let them not be-

Several things abruptly happened at once. The first was that there was a flash of fire in midair, directly in front of Voldemort, and a scarlet phoenix appeared. Harry's heart leaped. Fawkes. Dumbledore knows we're here.

Before Voldemort could react to Fawkes's appearance at all, the phoenix was upon Voldemort's face, clawing at his eyes, much as Harry had seen him claw at the basilisk's eyes at the end of his second year.

At the same moment, there was a loud explosion, and Harry swiveled his head in the direction of the doorway. To his shock, the door had been blasted completely off of its hinges, and Ron, Will, Neville, and the other members of the Coalition were pouring into the room, immediately firing curses at the Death Eaters.

The Death Eaters turned to counterattack. Fawkes flew away from Voldemort, up into the air, letting out a long, musical note that gave Harry sudden hope. Blood poured down Voldemort's face, and he screamed in fury.

Ginny launched herself forward, directly onto Voldemort. He barely managed to keep his balance, and he instinctively reached out to shove her away. His hands met Ginny's face at the same moment Ginny grabbed his hand, presumably going for his wand. Voldemort shouted-a shout of pain, Harry realized, startled-and Ginny let out another scream. She let go of Voldemort and fell backward, grabbing her forehead. Harry caught a brief glimpse of Voldemort, and saw that where Ginny had touched his hand was burnt and blistered. And in an instant, he understood.

Harry grabbed Ginny and yanked her to her feet. "Move!" He spotted a wand from a fallen Death Eater and grabbed it.

"STOP THEM! STOP THEM!" Voldemort screamed.

Several Death Eaters turned from their battle with the Coalition and pointed their wands at Harry and Ginny. Harry held up his borrowed wand. "Protego Prolongus!" He swung Ginny behind him just as several jets of red light flew their way. Behind those Death Eaters, the Coalition was battling fiercely with the others. He saw several fallen students, and several fallen Death Eaters. How many of his friends would die today?

Even while this thought flew through the back of his mind, he was focused on Voldemort. He was injured; there had to be a way to end this. There had to be something, anything, he could do to destroy him once and for all-but what? Even if he knew how to use the Killing Curse, would that actually kill him? The curse had rebounded upon Voldemort once before, and it had simply left him without a body.

Voldemort lifted his wand to his eyes and muttered something, and to Harry's horror, the blood all over his face disappeared, and whole eyes glared around the room. They landed on Harry and Ginny, and Voldemort strode forward purposefully, his wand at ready.

There has to be away for Harry to defeat Voldemort! There has to be; the prophecy said so! Hermione thought desperately. She and Gabrielle had been circling around the room toward Harry and Ginny, who stood apart from where the Death Eaters and the Coalition were battling. She saw Ron and Will in the midst of the battle, and was grateful to see that right now, at least, they were still standing.

Voldemort had recovered from his injury, and was now heading for Harry and Ginny. "Gabrielle, now would be the time to use your abilities," Hermione whispered as they continued to hurry around the room. "When we're close enough, if you could get Voldemort to just stop..." It might give Harry and Ginny enough time to do something. But what? What would stop Voldemort permanently? What would defeat him?

She remembered what she had told Harry about love being what Harry had that Voldemort didn't. She still didn't know how that was going to help him. If Voldemort hit Harry with the killing curse, he would die. His mother's sacrifice had protected him once, but that wouldn't-

Hermione froze, startling Gabrielle, who realized almost too late that Hermione had stopped. She came to halt. "What?" she whispered.

Ginny. What if Voldemort had put Ginny under a sleeping spell to keep her away from Harry...? Ginny loved Harry as much as his mother had, if in a completely different way. And Hermione knew that given the chance, Ginny would sacrifice herself to save Harry. That would explain why Voldemort tried to kill Harry almost as soon as they came in the room-to catch him off guard before Ginny had the chance to purposefully do anything.

Hermione prodded Gabrielle onward, her mind racing frantically. They were almost to Harry and Ginny now. Would a sacrifice of love save Harry a second time? It was likely...but that might just put Voldemort in the same state he had been in after his first fall. Love...could there possibly be a way of protecting Harry without someone actually giving their life for him? There needed to be a spell for this! But Hermione didn't know of any spells that had to do with love...there was a love potion, but...

Hermione came to a halt a second time, having the presence of mind this time to grab Gabrielle's shoulder and bring her to a stop. They were level with Harry and Ginny now, and Voldemort was only several meters away from them, his wand in hand and a murderous glint in his red eyes.

"Love conquers all," Hermione whispered, her eyes wide. Diligo victum totus. The three words had been written alone, on the last page of Hermione Weasley's journal. Jamie had said that her Aunt Hermione had told them they were never to forget those words. It had always bothered Hermione that the phrase was written in Latin, because she was used to Latin phrases being spells...

What if it was a spell? What if the Hermione of the future had discovered a spell that had to do with love? Most of the things Hermione Weasley had written in her journal had related to things that needed to be known for her traveling to the past.

That's ridiculous, Hermione chided herself. It probably doesn't mean anything...and even if it did happen to be a spell, you have no idea what it's for, and you can't just wave your wand and expect a spell to work. It's something that has to be learned.

"Gabrielle. Get ready to stop Voldemort. Just step on my foot when you're ready, and I'll plug my ears."

Hermione heard Voldemort speak. "Your games are over, Harry Potter."

"Really?" Harry sounded steady, but Hermione knew him well enough to hear the strain in his voice. "You don't seem to be doing so well."

"You-"

Gabrielle stepped on Hermione's foot, and Hermione immediately plugged her ears. She watched as Voldemort froze, then went slack. He stood in place, his arms hanging at his sides. Unfortunately, so did Harry and Ginny. Hermione pointed her wand at Voldemort, one ear pressed against her shoulder. "Stupe-" She was cut off when Gabrielle fell backward into her. Hermione instinctively reached out to grab her, unblocking her ears, but Gabrielle wasn't talking.

"Gabrielle?" Hermione murmured.

"I..." Gabrielle breathed. "Too strong," she muttered. "I could not hold him."

Hermione looked up. Voldemort was moving again, as were Harry and Ginny. All three looked disoriented, but Voldemort and Harry instantly raised their wands.

Hermione again aimed her wand at Voldemort and opened her mouth to Disarm him. To her surprise, she instead heard herself yelling, "Diligo Victum Totus!"

At the same moment, Harry shouted, "EXPELLIARMUS!" and Voldemort cried, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

To Hermione's complete and everlasting shock, a blast of silvery-blue light, stronger than any she had ever seen, shot out of her wand.

"NO!" Ginny threw herself in front of Harry. Hermione stared in horror as a jet of green light flew from Voldemort's wand just as the blue light from her wand struck him. It enveloped Voldemort, and abruptly, the green jet from the Killing Curse turned silver-blue. It struck Ginny straight in the chest, but even then, it didn't fade. It ran in a stream from Hermione's wand to Voldemort to Ginny. Both seemed frozen in place, and Hermione didn't move, afraid of what might happen if she did. She didn't even know what was going on in the first place. So she held perfectly still, supporting Gabrielle with one arm, and holding her wand steady with the other. The blue stream continued to come out of her wand. She turned her gaze on Harry, willing him to do something-anything.

Harry stared at the image in front of him. A jet of blue light was connecting Ginny, Voldemort, and trailing off to the side...to nowhere. No. To Hermione or Gabrielle...under the invisibility cloak. It has to be. What was going on? What was this blue light, and what was it doing to Ginny? Was she dead, and the light was somehow holding her standing? He couldn't believe she had jumped in front of him. What had she been thinking?

He reached forward and grabbed her, but froze abruptly when he felt something strike him in his chest. He stared down, and saw that the stream that went between Voldemort and Ginny was now going through Ginny and into his own body. It felt very, very odd. His whole body tingled, and the hairs on his neck and arms were standing straight up. It was at once very cool and soothing, and a feeling of complete peace washed over Harry. The type of sensation was similar to the one he experienced when he heard phoenix song, but much more powerful and beautiful.

Voldemort, however, didn't look at all happy. Rather, he looked horrified. He moved his wand and spoke something, but nothing changed. He tried to step aside, but the light moved with him and continued to shine through them all. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the Death Eaters and Coalition members that were still standing had all frozen, and were staring at the scene in front of them.

Harry waved his wand and tried to curse Voldemort, but nothing happened. What was he supposed to do? Just stand here and wait? He wasn't even sure Ginny was alive! "Ginny? Ginny!" Harry said frantically. "Ginny! Don't be dead, please don't be dead! I love you, you can't be dead."

The light intensified, growing and growing until Harry was squinting at its brightness. A moment later, he heard a long, strangled scream coming from Voldemort. Eyes narrowed against the brightness, he stared at Voldemort. The light was overwhelming him, and it seemed to be hurting him. His hands were clenched, and his face was turned upward, agony written across it. Pain, the worst that Harry had ever felt, exploded in his forehead, and he became aware that he was screaming, and so was Ginny. The blue light poured from Voldemort's mouth and eyes, and when it seemed so bright that Harry had to close his eyes, the scream ended, and the light faded.

The entire room was silent. Harry opened his eyes, his wand held tightly in one hand, and peered at the scene in front of him. Somehow, he had ended up sitting on the floor, and Ginny was leaning against him. His heart sank in relief when he felt her breathing.

Across from him, Voldemort was lying spread-eagled on the ground. The Death Eaters and the Coalition were still standing stock-still, gaping at them.

Before Harry had a chance to move, there was a commotion at the door, and Dumbledore entered, followed by numerous members of the Order, including Lupin, Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Charlie Weasley. Many others followed. The Death Eaters immediately took action, but they had already been thinned out a bit by the Coalition, and it wasn't long before Dumbledore had them rounded up.

"Ginny?" Harry whispered.

"Harry," Ginny said quietly. "I'm not sure what..."

"I'm not sure what happened, either."

Dumbledore strode over to them, relief on his face. It was Voldemort he stopped in front of, though. He stared at him for a moment, then slowly leaned down and pressed his fingers on Voldemort's throat. "He's dead," he pronounced.

Harry stared at Dumbledore in numb disbelief. "Dead." How could that be? What had he done? Nothing! How had he defeated Voldemort? This didn't make any sense!

Dumbledore straightened and looked at Harry and Ginny, and Harry could have sworn he saw tears in the headmaster's eyes. "Well done." There was more meaning behind those words than Harry had ever heard from Dumbledore.

"But Professor," Ginny said dazedly, "we didn't do anything."

"Oh, I think you did more than you know."

"Harry?" Hermione's weak voice drew Harry's attention to his right. He saw Hermione and Gabrielle appear as Hermione pulled the invisibility cloak off of them. Her wand was clutched in her hand, and she looked just as dazed as Ginny had sounded. She and Gabrielle were both kneeling on the floor and shaking.

"Ginny! Hermione!" Ron ran up and squeezed Ginny's shoulder, and then stepped up to Hermione. He carefully helped Gabrielle to her feet, and then pulled Hermione up and into a tight hug. Harry noticed that his right arm hung limp by his side, and wondered what had happened to it.

"Jamie?" Ginny asked, her voice a bit stronger.

"On her way to St. Mungo's, if she's not there already," Ron said.

"Let's get you back to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said gently. "We'll have a long talk there."

There had been a shield on Azkaban that prevented Portkeying in or out, unless it was lowered from inside the prison. Dumbledore had lowered it and sent all of the students back to his office, and from there, they assisted each other to the hospital wing. The hospital wing had never been so busy. Sixth and seventh-year students were crammed into beds, and Madam Pomfrey was moving frantically all around. Fawkes the phoenix might have been able to heal some of the students, except that he had been killed by one of the Death Eaters, and had been found in a pile of ash. He was brought back to the school as a fuzzy little ball of a bird.

Hermione was one of those that was fine, and was told to wait outside the hospital wing. Ron had been asked to remain inside, since he had been hit with a curse in one arm and Madam Pomfrey needed to fix it. Gabrielle had been asked to stay in the hospital wing because she was extremely weak and seemed to be in shock. Hermione sat outside the door with a group of other intact students.

No one spoke. Hermione wondered if they felt the same after-effects that she felt-turmoil, shock, and the desire to sob her eyes out. She had been horrified to learn that three students had actually died-Justin Finch-Fletchley, Filip Stefan, and Lavender Brown. She couldn't believe it. They had been just fine a matter of hours ago, and she had been part of dragging them off to Azkaban.

"Miss Granger?" Professor McGonagall's gentle voice brought her attention upward.

For a moment, Hermione wasn't able to talk. She was sure she would cry if she opened her mouth, but she finally managed, "Yes?"

"I'm to bring you to Professor Dumbledore's office. He has some questions for you."

Hermione nodded and stood to her feet. She followed McGonagall through the halls and up to Dumbledore's office. The headmaster wasn't there when she arrived, but Professor McGonagall waited with her in silence until he arrived.

"Please stay, Minerva," he said, conjuring several chairs and sitting behind his desk. Hermione sat and faced the headmaster. "Hermione," he began. "I've been in the hospital wing speaking with your fellow classmates about what happened. I've heard different parts of the story, and now I would like to hear yours. What happened today?"

Hermione wasn't sure who he had spoke to or what he had heard, so she started from the beginning. It took a while, and her voice caught in several places, but she finally made it to the end. She told about the curse she had sent Voldemort's way, and how she wasn't sure at all what it was, or what it had done. She told how she had read it in her future self's journal.

Dumbledore listened closely. "Where is this journal now?"

"It's in my trunk in my dormitory," Hermione said quietly.

"Minerva?"

"Of course." Professor McGonagall stood and left the office.

While she was gone, Dumbledore offered Hermione a cup of tea, which she sipped with shaking hands. Several tears slipped down her cheeks and dripped onto her robes, but she managed to keep from fully breaking down. Professor McGonagall returned shortly with Hermione Weasley's journal in hand, and Dumbledore took it and flipped to the last page. "Diligo Victum Totus." He paused for a moment, then looked at Hermione. "Miss Granger, do you think you could perform the spell again?" He stood up and moved around beside her.

"I...don't know."

"Would you mind trying? Just point your wand at my wall." Dumbledore waved to one of the very small empty spaces on his wall.

Hermione drew a deep breath and pulled out her wand, trying to remember exactly what she had done before. "Diligo Victum Totus!"

Nothing happened.

Dumbledore frowned thoughtfully. "I know it's difficult, but try to relive exactly what you were feeling when you cast the spell the first time."

Hermione closed her eyes. It wasn't hard to remember...the fear and anger as Voldemort prepared to curse Harry...he was going to kill him, and kill Ginny... "Diligo Victum Totus!" she cried.

A flash of light behind her eyelids brought her eyes open, and she saw the same silver-blue jet coming from her wand. It hit Dumbledore's wall in a continuous stream. Hermione gazed at it for a long moment, and then lowered her wand. The light moved with her wand and hit the floor.

"Hmm..." Dumbledore stared at the light. "Hermione, what are you feeling right now?"

"I didn't want Harry and Ginny to die," Hermione said. "I was so afraid they would...I didn't think I could do anything, and I couldn't stand it if I lost them. I love both of them so much." Tears streamed down her face, and a sob escaped. It was as if a dam had broken, and she couldn't stop crying. When she did finally manage to stop, she saw that the blue light was gone from her wand, and Professor Dumbledore was resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Hermione," he said quietly. "I think I have some idea of what happened, but I need some more time to go over this. We'll need to hold onto the journal for a short while. There are some things that need to be checked."

Hermione nodded shakily and wiped her cheeks with her hands. "You'll tell me when you know what happened?"

"Of course."

"May I go?"

"Yes."

Hermione left Dumbledore and McGonagall in the office and made her way down the moving staircase. When she exited, she was surprised to find Will waiting in the corridor, Molly beside him. Will took one look at her and wrapped his arms around her. "Are you all right?" he whispered.

"No. No, but I will be." Hermione knelt down and managed a smile for Molly. "Hello, sweetheart. I hope you had fun with Colin and Luna." She straightened. "Ron?" she asked Will.

"Still in the hospital wing. He's on the 'not so urgent' list, so he won't get taken care of right away. Harry and Ginny were cleared, though. They left the school. I think they're walking around the lake."

"It doesn't seem real," Ginny said quietly. She held Harry's hand tightly as they made the familiar tread around the lake. "I think part of me doesn't really believe that Voldemort could be gone for good."

"I know." Harry kicked a rock and watched it bounce into the lake. He couldn't believe that everything seemed so normal. The younger students were playing and laughing and running around outside in the sunshine. He could almost believe that the last few hours had been a dream, but he knew otherwise. "What if he's not? Not gone for good, I mean...everyone thought he was the last time, but he wasn't."

"Not everyone. Dumbledore always thought he would come back, but when he was talking to us a while ago, he seemed to think this time was different," Ginny replied.

Harry drew a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. There were so many things that had happened...so much to process. He couldn't believe that three more students-Lavender among them-were actually dead. There was still no news of Jamie; Dumbledore had only said that Hannah had arrived safely at St. Mungo's with Jamie in tow. He still had friends in the hospital wing that were in bad shape, and there was still the possibility that another could die before the day was over, if Madam Pomfrey couldn't cure them. Neville had been hit by something particularly nasty; he was one of the first Madam Pomfrey attended.

Death. Was that the price of victory? It would have been foolish to believe that Voldemort could be destroyed without sacrifices, but it was one thing to know people would probably die, and another to see it happen to people he knew.

"I just wish I knew how Voldemort was defeated," Harry said, raising his voice in frustration. "I don't understand it."

"Neither do I, but hopefully it'll be figured out soon."

They walked around the lake twice before either of them were inclined to go back inside. When they joined the throng of students waiting outside of the hospital wing, Harry was startled to see Mrs. Weasley emerging from the hospital wing. She turned and saw Harry and Ginny, and in an instant, she had her arms wrapped around both of them. "You two!" she gasped, tears pouring down her cheeks. "Ginevra Molly Weasley! What were you thinking? Do you have any idea-" She broke off and squeezed them tighter. "Don't either of you ever do anything like that again, do you hear?" It seemed all she was capable of saying.

"Where's Dad?" Ginny asked.

"He was here, but he left for St. Mungo's to see how Jamie's doing. He should be back shortly."

"What about the dementors that were attacking the public?" Ginny asked.

"They're under control. It took the combined efforts of the Order, the Magical Law Enforcement, and numerous witches and wizards who came to the aid of the cities under attack. But let's not talk about that right now. You two need food."

Harry shook his head. "I'm not hungry.

"Neither am I," Ginny said.

Mrs. Weasley opened her mouth, but then hugged them again. "All right."

The remainder of the day was one of the strangest of Harry's life. Word had spread through the school about what had happened, and rumors abounded. Madam Pomfrey worked her way through the students, and many were cured and released, while five-Neville among them-remained in the hospital wing for further care. She assured Harry that it appeared all would make it through, to Harry's great relief. At least no one else would die.

Mr. Weasley returned from St. Mungo's with more good news. Jamie was awake, and the Healers had informed him that she had not been tortured to the breaking point of her mind, only her body. Her mind was fully intact. "She's a bit subdued, and she wants to leave the hospital, but other than that, she's fine," Mr. Weasley told them.

Despite the good news, it was a very difficult night. One of the hardest things was walking into the Gryffindor common room and finding Parvati Patil curled up on one of the chairs and sobbing uncontrollably. Hermione sat on the arm of the chair, her arms wrapped around her. Parvati wasn't the only student affected by the deaths of their Hogwarts classmates. It was even harder when Harry heard that the dead students parents had arrived at the school. They were going to want answers, and what answers could take the grief from mourning parents?

It was the next morning that Harry finally got some answers to his questions about Voldemort's demise. Dumbledore called him to his office, along with Ginny and Hermione.

Once they were seated in his office, Professor Dumbledore sat at his desk and held up a brown, leather-bound book. "We found some very interesting things in Hermione Weasley's journal," he said. "It didn't take us long at all to find the spell embedded in the final page." He flipped it open and showed it to them.

Ginny squinted. "Diligo victum totus? What...that's 'love conquers all,' isn't it?"

Harry vaguely remembered hearing something about that several months ago. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"This is the spell that Hermione used that set everything in motion," Dumbledore said. He filled Harry and Ginny in on Hermione's part in the end battle, then said, "Hermione, the spell that is on this page is similar to the Memory Transfer Spell, but for one small difference. When a memory is transferred into someone, it remains quite clear in their mind."

Hermione nodded. "I know; I've experienced it."

"In this case, the spell-I assume set by your future self-was such that anyone who read the words directly from this journal would have the memory of a spell. The difference is, it was buried in your subconscious. You had inadvertently learned a spell, but you didn't know that you learned it."

"But Will's read this, and I'm pretty sure Jamie and Shay have, too," Hermione said.

"And had they been in your position, they might have done exactly the same as you did. My belief is that when you saw Harry and Ginny in their predicament, it triggered the memory of the spell, and without truly knowing what or how, you used it," Dumbledore said.

"But what is it?" Harry asked.

"We will need to do much more research on it, but from what I can tell, it is based in love."

"Love," Harry repeated dumbly.

"Why do you sound so surprised? Love is something that has been studied by many witches and wizards for years, and continues to be studied today. It seems that sometime in the future, there was finally a spell created that uses love as a basis."

"I wonder why Jamie, Shay, and Will were never actually taught this spell," Ginny murmured.

"Several of your teachers stayed up most of the night performing experiments with the spell, and we found that it does operate on strong feelings of love, but it is more subconscious than anything. When focusing on using it intentionally, the spell did not work. We were able to make it work twice, and both times, the person casting the spell imagined a great danger being presented to a loved one. It is not a difficult spell to use; it simply has to be used under the right conditions. That could very well be why Jamie, Shay, and William were not consciously taught the spell-because it cannot consciously be used. Or it could have been fairly new, or in its trial stages. As I said, it will require further study," Dumbledore said. "From what we've observed thus far, we believe it creates a protective shield around a person. Had Hermione struck either of you with the spell, it may have protected you from curses, purely out of her love for the two of you." He smiled kindly at Hermione. "Similar to the way your mother's love protected you as a baby, Harry."

"Only in the form of a spell, instead of someone actually dying," Ginny said.

"Yes. And as it was, Hermione did not strike either of you with it, but Voldemort."

Hermione blanched. "So you're saying it should have created a shield around Voldemort?"

"Yes and no. You see, whatever protection is offered is based purely in love, and love is something that Voldemort does not understand. By a series of very miraculously timed events, the Killing Curse that Voldemort was throwing at Harry and Ginny was overcome by your spell. 'Love conquers all,' even death," Dumbledore said gravely. "And so it is my belief that when Hermione's spell overwhelmed Voldemort's and struck Ginny, she was opened to the love that caused Hermione to cast the spell in the first place. However, Ginny had just performed an amazing act of selfless love. She had stepped in front of Harry to take the Killing Curse meant for him. In return, from what Harry has told me, he physically touched her, which brought Hermione's spell into him, as well. And then...he told Ginny he loved her," Dumbledore said significantly.

Harry, Ginny, and Hermione exchanged glances. "And?" Harry said.

"I believe that if everything had not happened exactly as it did, Voldemort would still be alive. However, Voldemort was already being touched by a spell that was based in love. Then, through his own folly, the Killing Curse he was sending reached Ginny, but it had been overcome with Hermione's spell, and it linked Voldemort to Ginny. Voldemort and Ginny already shared a link, and thanks to the spell performed earlier today, she and Harry share a connection. When Harry grabbed Ginny, it brought him into the physical link that was being maintained through Hermione's spell. And if there's one thing I have told you, it's that connections go both ways. With all of you linked to the spell, Voldemort was opened to the love you share. His body and mind could not survive with so much of the force he hates pouring into him. Feeling Ginny's sacrifice of love was bad enough, but it was ultimately Harry's love, which washed back into Voldemort through Hermione's spell, that destroyed him."

"But Professor, I don't understand. Why was my connection to Voldemort so important? I could suddenly feel him in my mind, and I knew he was happy...I knew where Jamie was," Ginny said.

"That is due to the spell used to wake you, Ginny. You see, by bringing your mind together with Harry's, your connections to Voldemort were merged. In other words, everything that Harry was used to feeling through his link to Voldemort would have been felt by you. While you don't visibly have a scar on your forehead, you now share in Harry's," Dumbledore said. "It seems, then, that you also shared in Harry's fate in the destruction of Tom Riddle. And since you had not had Occlumency lessons, you were not able to block Voldemort out of your mind. But you cannot feel him any longer, can you?"

"No," Ginny said slowly. "It...hurt. When he died. I...felt it."

Harry nodded in agreement. "It was horrible."

"And you're sure about...how Voldemort died?" Ginny asked.

"That is what we have been able to surmise," Dumbledore replied. "We may learn slight differences in our theory later, but that is what is most likely."

"Voldemort...was killed by love," Hermione whispered.

"Yes, indeed, Miss Granger. It was the only way he could have been killed, for it was the only thing he could not abide."

Author notes: You may have thought that Voldemort's demise was too simple, and of course, I know it will be different in canon (and probably longer!) but this is the way I chose to do it for this particular story.

Chapter Thirty-Three ~ Resolutions

After Dumbledore's talk with Harry, Ginny, and Hermione, Harry and Ginny had again disappeared, and Hermione had joined Ron for breakfast. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but she tried to eat something. She had been wary about eating anything from the kitchens, given what she knew of poisons being hidden in drinks in the original timeline. Dumbledore, however, had insured that all of the old food and drink, and even dishes, in the kitchen had been completely cleared out, and more had been imported overnight, just in case. So she picked at her food, trying to ignore all the whispers and stares.

"Hermione." Ron waved a hand in front of her face. "Are you all right?"

"I...feel odd."

"You're not the only one." Ron wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "You should-oh, mail's here."

Hermione watched the flurry of owls, and when one dropped off her copy of the Daily Prophet, she was eager to look at it, but afraid at the same time. She finally unrolled it and stared at the front cover. MINISTRY CONFIRMS YOU-KNOW-WHO'S DEATH!

Hermione read all about how a group of Hogwarts students, led by Harry Potter, had stormed Azkaban and killed Dumbledore. It was pretty accurate, and even listed the deaths of Lavender, Filip, and Justin. It didn't go into details on how Voldemort had died, only that 'Harry, his girlfriend Ginny Weasley, his best friend Hermione Granger, and a young French girl named Gabrielle Delacour seemed to play a part in his downfall. Albus Dumbledore tells the Prophet that it was Harry, in the end, that ultimately defeated him.' It went on for quite a while, promising to deliver more news on Voldemort's defeat as they received it.

Another article Hermione found of particular interest was one on page four that was headlined: DID JAMIE POTTER MAKE THE JOURNEY TO THE PAST ALONE? Hermione read it quickly. Someone had certainly done their research-and she wouldn't have been surprised if the reporters had spoken to someone who had overheard Will's confession to being Jamie's cousin.

Harry Potter went to Azkaban in an attempt to rescue Jamie Potter,

daughter by blood, though not by time. For months, we have believed

that Jamie came to this time alone, but now we have learned otherwise.

Will Warren and Shay Long arrived as six-year transfer students from a

school in Norway at the start of last term. Sources have confirmed that

Will Warren is actually one Will Weasley, cousin to Jamie Potter.

It is believed that "Shay Long" is also an alias, and that he is also from the

future. This is made all the more likely since none of the three wizard

schools in Norway have a record of a "Will Warren" or a "Shay Long"

ever attending.

There wasn't much else the reporter knew, but Hermione was sure that wouldn't last long. Molly had been wandering around the school with Will-and with Ron-whenever she had the chance. Word had already spread through everyone in the school that Will and Molly's parents had been Ron and Hermione, so it was only a matter of time before their identities-and Shay's-would be plastered all over the newspaper.

Other articles spoke of huge celebrations that had been going on around the wizarding world, far grander than anything that had been seen after Voldemort's first downfall. The Ministry of Magic in various countries was trying to keep things under control, especially after the recent dementor attacks. While the Muggles had not been able to see the dementors, there had been numerous people who had been Kissed. Hundreds had witnessed the witches and wizards battling the invisible enemies. And then, of course, there had been the town of St. Thomas, who witnessed twenty-some students Apparating and Displacing all over the place, and then zooming off across the ocean on broomsticks. The Ministry had done some of the biggest Memory Modifications in history and had managed to come up with explanations to give the families of those who had been Kissed. They were doing their best to track down anyone who might have escaped the mass Memory Modifications. The Prophet also reported that 'several tourists recorded the events of yesterday's dementor attacks on Muggle contraptions called 'video cameras' (similar to a Reciprocated Mirror, only far more complicated). The Ministry has collected the 'videos'.

Ron interrupted Hermione's perusal of the newspaper. "Here comes Dennis." He nodded at the approaching boy.

Dennis had always been the student who seemed to always learn everything first; he was often called Gryffindor's spy, and he always popped up in unexpected places. So it had been no surprise to Hermione when he had begun bringing news from the hospital wing, when no one else had been able to get past Madam Pomfrey. Then she had learned that Gabrielle, who had stayed in Gryffindor Tower overnight, was accompanying him back and forth to the hospital wing. Between the two of them, it was no surprise that they were able to get in and out of the hospital wing.

"Any news?" Hermione asked.

Dennis nodded brightly. "Ernie Macmillan finally got to leave the infirmary, and Samantha Greer just woke up. Gabrielle stayed to talk to her."

Gabrielle could talk the ear off a hippogriff given the chance, something Hermione had learned during Christmas break. "And Madam Pomfrey hasn't thrown her out on her ears?"

"I think she gave up. Gabrielle promised she'd stay out of the way. And I think it helped that she brought Madam Pomfrey tea from the kitchens," Dennis added thoughtfully. "I'll let you know if I hear anything else." He hustled off.

Ron snorted. "So Gabrielle already knows where the kitchens are, eh? She's not even in Hogwarts yet, and it took us till what? Our fourth year?"

Hermione nodded absently.

"Hey, have you seen Fred and Angelina?" Ron asked.

"No, they're here?"

"Yes...they would've been here sooner, except they were helping the Muggle Protection Aurors-you know, the ones Dad set up last year-move the Muggles to certain areas. It made it easier to modify their memories. Anyway, you should have heard Angelina when she saw me...it reminded me of my Quidditch training last year. She asked me if I had any idea what I was doing, running off to Azkaban-especially with Gabrielle. And did I know what Fleur was going to say when she got back? Apparently, they've been unreachable in France, though they'll probably hear news about You-Know-Who and come back. Then, after Angelina was finished screaming at me, she burst into tears and hugged me-about squeezed me to death-and cried about how You-Know-Who is gone and we helped defeat him and on and on..."

"What did Fred say?"

"'Pregnancy hormones.'"

Hermione snorted. That sounded like Fred. "Where are they now?"

"Ah, wandering around somewhere. I'm sure you'll see them later."

When Shay opened his eyes, it took him a long moment to figure out where he was. When he realized he was in the infirmary, a curtain drawn around his bed, he sat straight up, wincing when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. What was he doing here? What had happened?

The next thing that drew his attention was the lilting speech of a girl's voice. He recognized it instantly as Gabrielle's. How many times had he heard her going on and on about one thing or another over Christmas break? Her French accent was much lighter than it had been then, though. What was she doing at Hogwarts? Wasn't she supposed to be at Grimmauld Place?

Shay threw his curtain open, and saw that Gabrielle was sitting on the end of the bed directly across from him. Samantha was lying flat in the bed, but was awake and smiling at Gabrielle. Then Shay noticed that Neville was asleep on the bed beside him...and Susan Bones was next to him...and a Ravenclaw named Joshua Stoner was beside Samantha.

Gabrielle turned at the sound of his curtain opening, and she beamed. "Shay! You're awake! I have to tell Dennis." She hopped off the bed and ran to the door. She opened it and whispered something, then turned around and skipped back to sit on Samantha's bed.

"Hi, Shay," Samantha whispered, her voice sounding croaky. "Nice to see you up. I suppose you're confused as hell."

"Um, yes. Why are you in here? Why am I in here? What happened?"

"I got cursed. I can't even sit up; Madam Pomfrey said I have to stay lying for at least a week. As far as what happened to you-I really have no idea. As far as what happened in general-let's just say you know how to pick the wrong time to wind up in the hospital wing."

"Voldemort's dead!" Gabrielle exclaimed promptly.

Shay stared at her for a long, long moment. Those words simply would not process in his mind. "Excuse me?"

"It's true," Samantha said hoarsely. "Don't ask; Gabrielle was just trying to explain things to me. I got hit with a curse early on in the battle and missed the main event."

"What battle?" Shay asked, beginning to lose his patience.

"The one in Azkaban," Gabrielle replied. She turned so she could easily look at both Shay and Samantha. "When we went to rescue Jamie."

"Went to-what?"

"Mr. Long!" Madam Pomfrey's sharp voice drew Shay's attention. "I was wondering if you would wake up today. I need to-"

"No! No one's doing anything until someone tells me what's happening!"

The door to the hospital wing burst open, and Will, Ron, and Hermione entered. Shay was even more surprised to see Molly holding Ron's hand. He felt suddenly dizzy, and pressed a hand to his temple. "How long have I been here?"

"Since yesterday," Madam Pomfrey replied tartly. "You were hit with numerous Stunning Spells."

Stunned...that's right...it had been Draco Malfoy, but...

"And you four! You're not supposed to be in the infirmary!" Madam Pomfrey said, wheeling on Will, Ron, Hermione, and Molly.

"Please, Madam Pomfrey. We need to talk to Shay," Hermione pleaded.

Madam Pomfrey huffed. "If I let every student in here who wanted to come in this past night..."

"May we just have ten minutes?" Will asked quietly. "Dumbledore wanted us to talk to Shay when he woke up."

"Fine. Ten minutes only, and then you're out!" Madam Pomfrey stopped at Neville's bed and checked something, then grabbed a potion from Samantha's bedside table. "You need to take this, Miss Greer. It will make you sleep again, but-"

"I just woke up!" Samantha protested.

"You need to take this," Madam Pomfrey repeated. Samantha sighed, but took the potion. Within moments, she was asleep, and Madam Pomfrey continued into her office.

Shay turned immediately on Will. "Will! Would you tell me what is going on?"

Will bit his lip, looking rather apprehensive. "What were you told?"

"Not much. Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Will sat on the edge of Neville's bed. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Shay crossed his arms and turned to face Will. "I came out of my Transfiguration exam. I was late leaving, because McGonagall wanted to talk to me. When I left, I ran into Draco in the hallway." His eyes narrowed. "He was being controlled by the Imperius Curse."

Will straightened.

"What?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"It's part of the 'seeing false faces,'" Will murmured.

Shock coursed through Shay, and his eyes narrowed further. Will wouldn't have... "Will...you didn't tell them! You wouldn't!"

"He didn't. He didn't break any promises to you," Hermione said quickly. "It was what Gabrielle told us."

"Gabrielle?" Shay whirled on the girl.

"Wait." Hermione held up a hand. "I need to really understand this. I know now that you have abilities, due to being part-veela," she told Shay. "I've seen them at work, but I would like a complete explanation, if you don't mind."

"What do you mean, you've seen them at work?"

Will took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Shay exactly what had happened the previous day, starting with Gabrielle coming to Hogwarts with Angelina and continuing to the part where they devised a plan for getting into Azkaban.

For a moment, Shay was too shocked and furious to speak. Finally, in a very low voice, he said, "You took Gabrielle to Azkaban?"

"Yes."

Shay was still staring at Will as if he didn't recognize him. Finally, teeth clenched, he said, "I don't even know what to say to you."

"It was not his fault!" Gabrielle said earnestly. "I would have gone no matter what! I was the only one who could help save Jamie!"

"Hear the whole story, Shay," Hermione said softly. "Voldemort wouldn't have been defeated if it weren't for Gabrielle."

Will held his breath, probably wondering exactly what Shay was going to say next. Shay stared at him for a long moment. He trusted Will more than he trusted anyone, but he couldn't believe he had actually risked taking Gabrielle to Azkaban! Had Will been anyone else, Shay might have cursed him then and there. He knew Will, though. He honestly didn't think Will would have done it if he felt there was another choice. He took a deep breath. "Tell me the rest."

It took a lot of explaining, and a lot of exclamations and several curses on Shay's part. When they finally finished, Shay sat in silence for a long time, stunned. Voldemort was gone...gone. They had done it. They had actually succeeded in preventing their future from taking place. It was such an enormous idea that he couldn't quite wrap his brain around it. For one of the few times in his life, he found himself speechless.

Gabrielle, however, was still full of words. "You are from another time, are you not?"

Shay stared at her dazedly, caught off balance by the abrupt change in subject. "What?"

"Will told the other students that he was from the future. He is Jamie's cousin. Jamie was born when Harry and Ginny grew up and got married and had a baby. And when Hermione and Ron grew up, they had Will and Molly. And you are Will's best friend, and you are Jamie's boyfriend. So you are from the future as well." Gabrielle beamed at him in satisfaction. "I finally figured it out! I knew there was something about you!"

Shay still couldn't believe that Will had given up his identity, but in the light of everything that had happened, it really didn't matter now if people knew who they were. "Yes."

Gabrielle nodded in satisfaction, and Shay was very glad that she didn't ask about his parents. He was sure people were going to figure things out soon enough. Did he really want everyone knowing his true identity? His eyes drifted over to Neville, and he thought about everything Neville had done for the wizarding world, and his friends, and even Shay himself. It was at that moment that he truly realized how much he had changed over the past year. He was proud to be related to Neville, in whatever strange way. He was proud to be a Longbottom. For the first time, he truly comprehended how Jamie and Will could think of these past versions of their parents as their parents. Even Gabrielle, so young, had chosen to participate in something that could have got her killed, because she wanted to save Jamie. How long would it be before she found out who she really was in his time?

"Say, Gabrielle?" Will said. "Would you mind finding Blaise and telling him that Shay's awake, so he can tell the other Slytherins, just in case Dennis doesn't get to it?"

Gabrielle's attention turned away from Shay, and she nodded. "Of course!" She bounced out of the hospital wing.

Once she was gone, Hermione turned to Shay and raised her eyebrows. "She's going to figure it out before too long. So is everyone else-especially once everyone knows who your father was. It's kind of hard not to notice how much you look like Gabrielle."

"Look, I really don't want to talk about it right now."

"Fine-but just ask yourself one thing: do you want Gabrielle to hear it from a newspaper or a rumor, or from you?" Hermione asked.

As much as Shay didn't want to admit it, she had a point, but he really didn't want to think about trying to explain things to Gabrielle. She was still a little girl.

"Now that you've heard our story, I'd still like to hear more of yours," Hermione spoke up pointedly. "Malfoy under the Imperius Curse? Gabrielle told us a lot of what her abilities are, but it would be nice to hear the full story."

Shay sighed. "I...look, it's not easy to talk about."

"I'd like to think we've earned the right to know," Hermione replied.

Shay exchanged looks with Will, but finally sighed and nodded. "It's...well, in the original timeline, Bill and Fleur were captured by Death Eaters, but they escaped." He shrugged and looked at Will. He wasn't all that good at telling stories.

Will nodded and turned to Ron and Hermione. "Fleur's fear and panic at being captured awoke some latent abilities in her. Up until this point, no one knew that people who are part wizard and part veela could do anything special. Anyway, Fleur didn't know she had these...abilities. She used them to escape with Bill, and then she found that it was easy to teach them to Gabrielle." He looked back at Shay, who shifted uncomfortably.

"My mother taught them to me when I was little." He sighed and closed his eyes. "They consist of primarily three things-the ability to form fire in our hands, for one. Then...well, I like to think of it as a natural Imperius Curse. We have the ability, as you've learned, to use our voices to control others." He opened his eyes. "When we're controlling someone, they aren't aware of anything. They could be controlled for hours and not remember anything about those hours. It can't be fought like the Imperius Curse. And due to the controlling nature of these abilities, we can't be affected by the Imperius Curse. I never had to learn to fight it, because it didn't matter if someone used it against me."

That was obviously a new piece of information, as Hermione sucked in her breath and Ron's eyebrows shot up. "Wow."

"Really," Hermione said, shooting a glance at Will and Gabrielle.

Shay nodded. "When the Death Eaters captured Bill and Fleur, they put Bill under the Imperius Curse, and tried to do the same to Fleur." It felt very odd-almost wrong-to be telling this story. Shay was so used to protecting his secret. "It didn't work, and Fleur freaked out, shot fire out of her hands, and then...without really knowing what she was doing, she changed her voice and shouted at them to freeze. The Death Eaters all went into a trance, and she and Bill escaped. Then Fleur joined the Order. She gave the Order a great advantage. Except that Voldemort had also learned of these abilities." Shay's eyes hardened. "There were Reciprocated Mirrors in the place where Fleur and Bill had been brought, and the whole thing was recorded. So Voldemort decided he needed someone who was part-veela to study, to find out the extent of these powers. And since there are only a few in the world, he went after the person he saw as the easiest target-Gabrielle."

"Ohhh," Hermione breathed in sudden understanding.

Shay gave a sharp nod. "She had just started school at Beauxbatons, and Voldemort attacked the school. He didn't get Gabrielle, but the school was destroyed, and many students died. They were moved to Hogwarts, and Gabrielle was sorted into Gryffindor House."

Ron's jaw dropped. "You mean...when you told us that Beauxbatons was attacked...it was all because of Gabrielle?"

Shay glanced at Ron. "Yes."

"So...what happened to Fleur?" Hermione asked.

"Voldemort finally got his hands on her, and that's when he found out that not even he is immune to the abilities she possesses. She escaped again."

"So...why didn't you just tell us this before? Why the big secret? We obviously knew about it in the future." Ron asked.

"You don't understand what it was like," Shay snapped. "I spent my entire life hiding this. Anyone who was part-veela was hunted down and killed. It was hard for Voldemort's people to kill them-they had to sneak up and do it behind their backs-"

"That's why Seamus Finnigan gave his life for Gabrielle," Hermione realized. "To protect her and her ability."

"Gabrielle was one of the last," Will said quietly. "She did everything she could to keep anyone from finding out that she'd had a child."

"Well, that certainly explains why you were always so reluctant to discuss your mother," Hermione said with a sigh. "So what about Malfoy and the Imperius Curse yesterday? There's more to this, I assume."

"Yes. The last part of this is the ability to see through-"

"False faces?" Hermione asked curiously.

"In essence, yes. If someone's using Polyjuice Potion, they sort of flicker...as if they have two faces. We can also see through the Imperius Curse, which was a great advantage in the future. It looks very similar to the way we can see through Polyjuice. The person still looks like they're flickering, as if they have two faces, but there are some subtle differences. When I saw Draco in the hallway, I could tell that he was being controlled by the Imperius Curse."

Hermione frowned. "That doesn't make sense," she said. "Malfoy's been working with the Death Eaters. Why would he bother to let someone put the Imperius Curse on him?"

"I believe I have the answer for that."

Hermione was startled by the sound of Dumbledore's voice. She turned to see him approaching them. "I have spent this afternoon questioning some of the Death Eaters we captured at Azkaban. Interestingly enough, one of them was Peter Pettigrew."

"You caught him?" Ron asked anxiously.

"Does that mean that Sirius has finally been cleared?" Hermione asked.

"He has," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Hermione beamed.

"Yeah, if only he were alive to enjoy it," Ron said a bit bitterly.

Hermione looked shocked. "Don't say that in front of Harry!"

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, interrupting the argument. "I also learned that it was he who snuck into the school and abducted Jamie. Mr. Malfoy was put under the Imperius Curse by request-so that if anyone were to have any questions about his participation in this matter, he would honestly be able to tell them he was made to do it. According to Pettigrew, once under the Imperius Curse, Mr. Malfoy Stunned Shay several times, hid him in the broom cupboard, and left the school, giving Pettigrew time to take Polyjuice Potion, transforming into Shay, and using a Portkey to remove Jamie from the school."

"Why couldn't Malfoy have just used the Portkey to take Jamie?" Ron asked.

Hermione sighed impatiently. "Because, Ron, he doesn't know how to make a Portkey, and in order for a Portkey to work inside Hogwarts, it has to have been created in Hogwarts, remember?"

"And it was easy for Peter Pettigrew to sneak into the grounds as a rat," Dumbledore nodded in agreement.

"I hope he rots in prison," Ron said angrily.

"Yes, what are they doing with the Death Eaters, Professor?" Hermione asked. "I mean, are you going to be using Azkaban again? What about the dementors?"

"We will not be employing the dementors any longer. Minister Fudge has finally been convinced that it is not safe." Dumbledore's eyebrows twitched, and he continued, "The Bulgarian government has some use for them, and will be...utilizing them in some of their work. Meanwhile, as Azkaban has been reclaimed, we will again be putting prisoners there, but they will be guarded by Aurors. Peter Pettigrew will be put in a specially designed cell which will prevent him from being able to escape as a rat."

"Did any of the Death Eaters die?" Ron asked. "During the battle?"

"No. However, several were cursed in such a way that they will probably spend the rest of their lives suffering the effects of those curses. Also, you'll remember the eight Death Eaters that young Miss Delacour held in place with her voice while you Stunned and Full-Body Binded them?"

"Yes," Hermione said slowly. "Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange were among them."

"Indeed," Dumbledore said quietly. "They were found lying on the floor in the hallway of Azkaban, likely where you left them. All eight had been Kissed. It seems the Dementors sensed the battle, and any victims fed their hunger."

Hermione shivered. "They wouldn't have been Kissed if it hadn't been for us."

"Don't you think they deserved it?" Shay asked sharply.

"They were horrible people," Hermione said softly. "And it finally caught up with them."

Shay wasn't sure whether to take that as an agreement, but he nodded.

"So what's going to happen to Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"His fate lies in the hands of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He is seventeen, and as such, he is being faced with adult charges in aiding and abetting Voldemort. He has been taken to the Ministry."

Which was nothing less than what he deserved, Shay thought, as long as he was found guilty. He had no pity for Draco Malfoy-not after he had killed his mother in the future, and not after he had helped Voldemort get his hands on Jamie.

"It will take a while for everything to be sorted out. The Ministry is going to be very busy for quite a while." Dumbledore told them. He went to speak with Madam Pomfrey for a moment, and then left the infirmary. Moments later, Madam Pomfrey chased Ron, Will, Hermione, and Molly out. She then turned her attention on Shay. "You. Sit. I need to double-check everything, and then you may leave the hospital wing."

Shay considered protesting, but decided Madam Pomfrey looked harassed enough. He sat on his bed and submitted to her tests. She finally nodded in satisfaction and pronounced him fit. "You may leave."

Shay headed for the door when it opened and Jamie stepped inside. Her eyes locked on Shay, and he froze in shock. Her face was paler than he had ever seen it, and huge dark rings surrounded her shadowed eyes. There was a haunted look in them that Shay recognized-it was one that Jamie had worn a lot the last few years. He hadn't realized how much it had faded over the past year until he was faced with it again.

Shay stepped forward and carefully rested his hands on the sides of her face. "Jamie?"

Jamie sagged forward, wrapping her arms loosely around Shay, and he closed his eyes for a long moment. It was a good thing Voldemort was dead, because that was the only thing that could possibly satisfy what had been done to her. "They said you were in St. Mungo's."

"I was released an hour ago," Jamie said quietly. "Mr. Weasley brought me to Hogwarts, and Dennis Creevey said you were in here."

"Have you seen Will yet? Or Harry and Ginny?"

"No. Dennis said Will might be up here, but he wasn't sure where Harry and Ginny are." Shay felt wetness on the front of his shirt, and realized that Jamie had silent tears running down her cheeks. "They told me what happened in Azkaban. I'm not quite sure what happened before that...I don't know how I got to Azkaban...and I only remember..." Jamie caught her breath and shook her head. "I want to see Will," she said plaintively.

"Come on, we'll go find him. He just left a few minutes ago."

It didn't take long to track down Will; he was still with Ron, Hermione, and Molly, and they were in the entrance hall talking to Bill and Fleur, who must have just arrived at Hogwarts. Fleur was clinging to Gabrielle and crying, speaking very quickly in French. Shay stood back slightly while Jamie ran into Will's arms and clung to him, tuning half an ear into Fleur's words-she was alternately lecturing Gabrielle and crying that she was so thankful Gabrielle was safe.

Looking past the group, Shay saw that the doors to the Great Hall stood open, and many students and teachers were setting up decorations inside. He frowned. "What are they doing?"

"There's going to be a celebration tonight," Hermione told him. "In honor of Voldemort's defeat...and in remembrance of those who died to bring freedom to the world."

"Jamie, there you are! Dad said you were back!" Ginny spotted Jamie sitting between Will and Shay in the Great Hall, watching the students and teachers milling around throwing sparkling balls of light into the air and placing streamers in various corners.

"Ginny!" Jamie looked up and smiled slightly.

Ginny hugged her tightly, and when she stepped back, she saw that her eyes, which had lost so much of the haunted look they'd had at the beginning of the year, was back. "How are you feeling?" she whispered.

"I'll...survive. I'm feeling stronger now that I'm back here," Jamie said. "How about you? I was brought up to speed on what's happened. Are you and Harry all right?"

"Yes. We've...been doing a lot of talking and thinking. I think a lot of us are still trying to process what happened. I'm sure Harry would like to see you. Can I steal you away?"

Jamie's smile widened. "Sure." She stood up. "I'll be back," she told Shay and Will. She followed Ginny out of the Great Hall. "Have you seen Bill?"

"Yes. Harry and I were in Hogsmeade...we passed Bill, Fleur, and Gabrielle on the way back to Hogwarts." Ginny cast another look at Jamie. "Do you need anything?"

"No...I'm all right," Jamie said hesitantly.

"All right...I'm here if you want to talk, though."

"I know," Jamie whispered. "Thank you. So..." She cleared her throat. "It's really, really good to see you awake again."

"I've been hearing that a lot," Ginny smiled.

"Do you know what you're going to do about your missing schooling?"

"Professor Dumbledore is letting me make it up over the summer. In the midst of everything else he's been doing today, he spoke with someone at the Ministry. It was agreed that I can go into the Ministry at the end of the summer and take my O.W.L.s there."

Jamie smiled. "That's nice."

"Yes, except for the working through the summer part," Ginny sighed.

"On the bright side, I hear Bill and Fleur's wedding is back on," Jamie said.

Ginny brightened. "Yes, on July first." She had found out that Bill and Fleur had been going to hold off on their wedding until Ginny had woken, which she thought was very nice of them, considering at the time, there had been no way to know how long she would sleep.

"That'll be nice to see," Jamie said. "I've never seen a wedding before."

"Really? Oh, it'll be fun. I'll have to get Mum to take us shopping on Diagon Alley..." Ginny rambled on about the wedding. It was relieving to talk about a light subject, and give her brain a rest from running through everything that had happened lately.

"We are here tonight," Dumbledore said in a strong voice, "to celebrate life." He stood facing the students in the Great Hall, who were absolutely silent as he spoke. "We have lost three of our students in the past day. Lavender Brown, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and Filip Stefan fought for hope and freedom. They wanted peace, and they gave their lives to assure it." As he spoke each name, three huge white candles that stood in front of the room lit up. "For the first time in many, many years, the world is free of the threat that was Voldemort. We have been given a second chance-" Here his eyes fell on Will, Shay, and Jamie "-and it is our duty to live for the things so many have given their lives for."

Dumbledore looked around at all of the students. "I know that many of you are grieved by the loss of loved ones, and may well grieve for a long time, but tonight we celebrate everything that was gained. So in honor of our friends, and in joy that Voldemort will no longer terrorize the world, we are here. Fireworks and other material have been provided by Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes." Dumbledore pointed his wand and a shower of sparks poured out, covering the room and raining down on the students. "Let the celebration begin."

As far as Harry knew, the party was still continuing, though it was nearing three in the morning. Every once in a while, the portrait hole would open and more Gryffindors would return to collapse in their beds. He wasn't sure how long he had been staring into the fire in the common room, though it was long enough for the embers to begin to grow low. Ginny had fallen asleep lying across his lap, and Harry didn't want to disturb her, though he didn't think he would be able to sleep anyway.

Jamie was asleep on the couch across from Harry and Ginny. Shay had escorted her back to Gryffindor Tower at about one o'clock, and Jamie had sat on the couch in silence, tucking her arms and legs completely into an oversized Muggle shirt. She finally confessed to them that she had spent half the previous night having nightmares, until the healers in the hospital gave her dreamless sleeping potion. "Why don't you just ask Madam Pomfrey for some more?" Ginny asked in concern.

"I don't want to take more potions. Even without the dreams, I felt bothered in my sleep...and I had a hard time waking up. I'm just going to...sit here, if that's all right."

Harry nodded. "Of course."

Jamie had finally succumbed to sleep about half an hour ago, and so far, her sleep didn't seem outwardly disturbed. Harry sighed and rubbed his scar, thinking that he would never again feel it tingle or hurt. It was an odd thought.

He heard the portrait hole open again, and moments later, heard someone clearing his throat near him. He turned, expecting to find one of his classmates, but was surprised to see Dumbledore. "Professor," he said.

"Hello, Harry. I wondered if I might visit with you for a bit."

"Er...of course."

Dumbledore carefully took a seat on the couch beside Jamie. "Ah. I always forget how comfortable the furniture is in here." He smiled as Ginny stirred and rolled over, pressing her face into Harry's shirt.

Harry was still wondering what Dumbledore was doing in the tower, but he nodded, his gaze turning back on the fire.

"How are you, Harry?" Dumbledore asked presently.

"I'm..." Fine. How could he say that? He wasn't fine, was he? "Professor, I think something's wrong with me," he blurted.

"Why is that?"

"Well...shouldn't I be feeling more than I am?" Harry turned his eyes on Dumbledore, confusion he had been feeling all day coming out in a torrent. "I mean, Voldemort is dead, isn't he? He's gone...he's not coming back? Shouldn't I be feeling elated? Shouldn't I be feeling something more? Even at the celebration... All I feel is..." Harry struggled to find the right word. "Empty." He shook his head. "Numb."

Dumbledore studied him for a long moment. "That's a perfectly normal emotion to be feeling, Harry-and yes, it is an emotion; you are feeling something. Voldemort's fate has been tied with yours since before you were born, and you have been the focus of his attention for years. You have faced him on numerous occasions, and he has threatened you and those you love for a long time." His eyes flickered to Ginny, then back to Harry. "Many witches or wizards in your position would have broken under everything you have faced. It may take you a while to adjust to the idea that that threat is gone. I believe some of your friends feel that way as well."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. "I mean, are you sure he's gone? Couldn't he just be...without a body again, and in another ten years, I'll have to face him all over again?"

"Even before I saw Voldemort's body, before I felt it and assured that his blood had stopped flowing, I knew he was gone. The moment he died, I knew it."

"But how?"

"There are some mysteries, Harry, that are never answered. I have always had some idea of what Tom Riddle's state of being has been. He is gone. I have never been more certain of anything," Dumbledore said in a strong voice.

Harry nodded slightly, staring again into the fire.

Dumbledore stood to his feet and rested his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Give it time, Harry. You have the entire summer ahead of you. It is for you to decide what you want to do with it-you may stay where you like. Grimmauld Place is yours, and the Order will no longer need it. Kreacher can be released, as whatever information he knew no longer relates now that Voldemort is dead. And if you'd rather not stay at Grimmauld Place, I'm certain the Weasleys would also love to have you."

Harry blinked. It hadn't occurred to him that with the threat of Voldemort gone, he would be able to choose what he wanted to do, without being watched or followed. He knew he had to be careful, though, in case any of Voldemort's followers were still out there. Just look at what had happened to Neville's parents when everyone thought the threat of Voldemort was finally gone.

Dumbledore smiled at Harry and left. Harry looked down at Ginny, and it finally began to dawn on him that for the first time in his life, he was finally free.

The end of term was incredibly busy. Once the shock and disbelief at Voldemort's defeat wore off, it seemed that the last days of school were a never-ending party for most of the students. Shay spent most of the time with Jamie and Will. Molly continued to stay at the school with them. At first she seemed nervous about being around so many people, but she quickly adjusted.

As the days passed, even Jamie was doing better. She said she was still having nightmares, and probably would for quite a while. Once, out of Molly's earshot, she had said, "I can't stand thinking about it...that what was done to me was done to Molly, except she was so little." She swiped at tears on her face. "Now that our identities are coming out, I want to take her to St. Mungo's. I want to explain to the healers exactly what happened. They can look at her and see if anything can be done for her."

Will and Shay exchanged glances, and Will nodded. "That would be nice, James."

Reporters were sending owls galore to Jamie, Will, and Shay, requesting interviews. Will and Jamie's parentage was already completely known and out in the public, but Shay had been doing his best to conceal his, at least until he figured out what to do about Gabrielle. As it turned out, the decision was made for him when Gabrielle approached him two days before the end of term. She had been at Hogwarts only because Bill and Fleur were staying with Fred and Angelina until the end of term.

Gabrielle found him sitting at the lake with Jamie, and got straight to the point. "Am I your mother?"

Shay stared at her. "Excuse me?"

Gabrielle settled on the ground in front of him. "Well, I know that you are part-veela. And I have thought that perhaps Fleur and Bill had married and had you-in the future, I mean." Her forehead creased in a frown. "I asked Fleur about it, and she said that Bill could not be your father, because..." Her eyes flickered to Jamie. "You are Jamie's boyfriend. Fleur said that Ginny is Jamie's mother," she said slowly, as if making sure she got all the facts right, "And that if Bill was your father, you and Jamie would be cousins." Gabrielle wrinkled her nose, looking disgusted. "I still thought that perhaps Fleur could be your mother, but...how could she have married anyone else besides Bill?"

Jamie raised her eyebrows and looked at Shay. "Yes, Shay. How could Fleur have married anyone else?"

Shay shot her a glare to let her know she wasn't helping.

"So then I thought that perhaps your father had been part-veela...but Fleur said that the answer was right in front of my nose, and I should ask you," Gabrielle finished quickly. "I was coming to ask you when I realized that perhaps I am your mother. Or that I...was your mother, when I grew up and married." She looked puzzled for a moment, then shook her head and shrugged. "I do not know why I didn't think of that before."

Shay opened his mouth, then closed it. He felt Jamie staring at him intently, and Gabrielle was watching him with an expression of curiosity on her face. Well, here it was. He had known this time would come, hadn't he? And Gabrielle didn't seem terribly upset...

It seemed ages before he could get the word out of his mouth. "Yes." He searched her eyes for a moment. "You were my mother."

Gabrielle jumped to her feet. "I was right!" She beamed at Shay. "Does this mean I will grow up and marry and have a baby?"

That certainly hadn't been what Shay had expected her to ask. "Er..."

"Maybe, Gabrielle," Jamie spoke up. "We changed a lot of things when we came back here. Maybe you will get married someday, but that will be up to you." She smiled. "The future isn't written. It's whatever you make of it."

Gabrielle tilted her head and looked considering. Finally, she grinned and nodded. "I must go. I promised Fleur I would only be gone for ten minutes!" She turned and started to skip away, then came to a halt and turned back around. "Wait...who did I marry when I grew up?"

"Neville?"

Hermione instantly recognized the inquisitive voice as Gabrielle's. She turned to see that the girl had just entered the hospital wing. Neville had finally awakened yesterday, and Madam Pomfrey had informed him that he wasn't going to be leaving the infirmary until it was time for the train to return to King's Cross, so Hermione had gone to the infirmary to keep him company.

"Er...yes?" Neville replied.

Gabrielle approached Neville's bed. She stopped at the end of it and gazed at him for a long moment. "Jamie said I do not have to marry you."

Hermione choked, and Neville blinked, a very uncomfortable expression falling upon his face. "Er...no, no. What...what would give you that idea?"

"Because I married you in the future, when I was grown-up," Gabrielle said simply.

Hermione's eyebrows rose. So she had found out... "Did Jamie tell you that?"

"No, Shay did, but I figured it out first! Well, not that I married Neville...I figured out that I was Shay's mother!" Gabrielle said. She looked back at Neville and continued, "And Shay told me that you were his father, which means that I married you! I am certain that you are very nice, but that doesn't mean I want to marry you when I grow up. So we can be friends, all right?"

Hermione was rather glad Shay wasn't here to listen to this conversation.

Neville blinked at Gabrielle several times, seemingly searching for something to say. "Er...well, that's...just fine."

Gabrielle grinned. "All right. I really have to leave now-I am late and Fleur is going to be upset!" She trotted out of the infirmary, and Neville turned to Hermione.

"That was a little...strange," he said.

"That was...well, Gabrielle. Though she does seem to be taking this rather well." Hermione shrugged. "It might have to do with her age. It might be easier to accept something so novel at eleven. She hasn't had her mind set about some things yet."

"It could be."

Neville still looked a bit awkward, so Hermione changed the subject. "I know you only woke up yesterday, but summer vacation starts very soon. Have you given any thought to what you're going to do?"

"Well, Harry stopped by yesterday. He said I could stay at his house-isn't it strange that Harry has a house now?-this summer. Luna came by too, and still wants me to visit with her and her father. I thought it over, and I told her that I'll stay with her and her dad through July, and then go to Harry's for August. That'll give me the end of June with Gran. She might not be very happy I'll be gone the rest of the summer, but..." Neville straightened. "I'll talk to her about it. What about you?"

"I'll probably be staying at Grimmauld Place. I might go to Spain for two weeks in July with my parents, but I'm not sure yet. Ron's staying at Harry's, and Ginny's wearing her mum down so she can stay there too-I think the only reason Mrs. Weasley is even considering it is because Remus is going to continue living there. And of course, Will, Shay, Jamie, and Molly will be there. I think Harry's opening it to them on a permanent basis, unless they want to live elsewhere." Hermione smiled. Overall, things were settling very well for her friends.

"I still can't believe everything that's happened. And it's all thanks to Will and Shay and Jamie," Neville said. "I just wish they hadn't had to lose so much to get to this point."

"Yes, but they've gained a lot too. They're stuck in this time now...it's not possible to travel to the future because the future isn't written-one of the basic concepts of time-travel. Who knows what'll happen? It will be interesting to see."

Neville nodded. "Yes, it will," he agreed.

It was, without contest, the best summer of Harry's life. Harry had his best friends staying with him, with Remus as chaperone-though Remus seemed to be having as much fun as everyone else was. He didn't have to worry about Kreacher; the house-elf had been transferred over to work at Hogwarts now that there was no risk in anything he might reveal.

After much discussion, Will and Jamie finally gave the reporters everything they wanted-the full story of what had happened in their future, how and why they had come back, and what life had really been like when Voldemort ruled. The story ran in the paper for weeks.

Draco Malfoy was convicted of working with Voldemort, and aiding in the kidnapping-and thus, torture-of Jamie Potter. He was sentenced to three years in Azkaban, and then reevaluation by the Aurors to see if he was ready to reenter the world. It was strange to think that Malfoy would be in prison during what was supposed to be his seventh year, but Harry couldn't say he felt sorry for him.

Bill and Fleur married and left on their honeymoon until the end of July. Gabrielle stayed with Fred and Angelina, though she ended up staying at Grimmauld Place under Remus's care when Angelina went into labor three weeks early.

Fred and Angelina had the first Weasley child that was actually born in the proper time. It was a boy, and he had dark skin and dark curly hair. Upon seeing the baby at St. Mungo's, Ginny had commented that none of the next generation of Weasleys seemed to have the Weasley hair at all, save for Molly.

About the same time that Fred and Angelina's son was born, Jamie, Will, and Shay brought Molly into St. Mungo's for an appointment with the healers. Shay returned to Grimmauld Place hours later. "The healers want to keep Molly overnight, so Jamie and Will are staying with her."

Jamie and Will brought Molly home the next afternoon, and both looked elated. "The healers did a lot of tests on her," Jamie said, as Will took Molly to the kitchen. "They determined that Molly is physically unable to talk. Her ability to speak was destroyed when she was tortured. They did say that she seems perfectly capable of listening and understanding and learning-she responds to things you say, she's potty-trained, things like that. They agreed that all of her drawings have been her way of communicating, because it's the only way she was ever able to speak." She smiled excitedly. "They said that because of her torture, she shut different parts of herself down-she stopped crying and smiling and such. They think that with therapy, that might get better. She's already been smiling for several months. They want us to bring her in once a week for a couple of months, and then they might switch to having her come in every other week or monthly. Here's the best part, though-they think she can learn to speak using sign language. They found out it's something we know a little bit of, and once we showed her a couple of simple signs, she signed them back. The healers found that she can associate the signs with the actual words."

Hermione beamed. "That's fantastic! We can all work with her."

And they all did; by the time Bill and Fleur arrived home on July twenty-eighth, Molly had picked up on numerous words, and would actually ask for things when she wanted them: food, water, paper, crayons, hugs.

Bill and Fleur reclaimed Gabrielle, though she begged to stay at Grimmauld Place. They told her she could visit, and she would be seeing everyone at school in September. They were going to be living in a flat nearby in London.

Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes boomed with even more business once word got out that their exploding gum had assisted in the overall destruction of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. "We almost have more work than we know what to do with!" George exclaimed one day. "It's great!"

Neville arrived at Grimmauld Place on July thirtieth, which also happened to be his birthday. July thirty-first, Harry's birthday, everyone threw a double-surprise party for Harry and Neville. Many other people came; Fred, Angelina, and the baby, George, Lee Jordan, Tonks, Bill, Fleur, and Gabrielle, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Charlie, and Kingsley Shacklebolt. It was the best birthday of Harry's life, and from the look on Neville's face, he guessed it to be Neville's best birthday too.

Gabrielle did drop by quite a bit in August-she no doubt wore Bill and Fleur down, and they let her spend several nights there. The awkwardness on Neville's part due to Gabrielle's presence disappeared as he adjusted to her being there. She didn't ever mention anything else about marrying him, or the fact they had been Shay's parents in an alternate timeline, which probably helped.

As the end of August neared, Molly had picked up a great deal of sign language. "Children tend to learn faster than adults, as far as languages go," Remus explained. Molly was talking with her hands in complete sentences, and could actually hold a conversation with someone. It was a miracle to see her telling Will about what she had done during the day. The communication was due in part to her weekly therapy at St. Mungo's. The healers had enabled her to open up a great deal.

Another significant point to the summer was the Occlumency lessons Ginny had with Dumbledore. He traveled to Grimmauld Place once a week to teach her, on top of the homework she was already working to complete. Harry and Ginny had both adjusted very well to the connection they shared; they sometimes seemed to know exactly what the other was thinking, or would experience particularly strong emotions of the other. It was a bit strange at first, but they had already shared so much-including memories-that it seemed almost natural. Dumbledore still requested teaching Ginny, in case it ever got to be too much, and she needed to know how to block it out.

Ginny managed to complete her schoolwork, and in mid-August, she went to the Ministry and took her O.W.L.s, returning fairly confident that she had done well, all things considered.

All too soon, shopping was finished, trunks were packed, and September first was upon them. Tonks swung by to take them to King's Cross. "For old time's sake," she said with a grin. "I'm going to miss being at Hogwarts this year, but I served my turn."

They took the Knight Bus, and all crammed onto the first floor. Molly came along as well; she would be going with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley once they boarded the train to Hogwarts.

"Tonks," Will said once they were settled on the bus. "There's something I've been very curious about since last September, but I haven't ever asked."

Tonks raised her eyebrows curiously. "Oh? What's that?"

"When you were spying on Voldemort, and sent the Gourl to Ron...why did you send it as a secret admirer?"

Ron reddened slightly and shot Will a dirty look. Will smiled apologetically, realizing this probably something embarrassing that Ron didn't want brought up.

Tonks laughed. "Well, that's easy. I had to get it to him without letting him know who sent it...and really, I do admire you, Ron. You and your family are like...the siblings I never had. I also rather hoped that seeing a message from a secret admirer would give Ron and Hermione incentive to...oh, speed things up a little. They were driving everybody crazy. I knew they were meant for each other."

Ron reddened even more, but he smiled at Hermione, looking pleased.

"Any more questions you've been waiting to ask?" Tonks asked.

"Just one, about the same situation. Why didn't you just give the Gourl to Harry, if it was supposed to be spying on him?"

"Ah. Voldemort couldn't know that the Gourl was the object I was using to send him images, or he would have known it was a lie-a Gourl records sounds, not images. It was just safer for Harry and everyone else if Ron was the one who had it." Tonks smiled at Will and leaned back in her seat. "And speaking of people being meant for each other..." Her eyes landed on Shay and Jamie. "When's the wedding?"

Shay blinked, and Jamie's eyes widened. "What?" Ginny and Harry exclaimed together.

Tonks pointed at Molly. "Ask her."

"Molly?" Shay frowned. "Is there something you'd like to tell us?"

Molly looked up at him, a questioning look on her face.

"What did you tell Tonks about Jamie and me?"

A smile lit up Molly's face, and Harry had no trouble understanding her signed words. 'You asked Jamie to marry you.'

Will's eyebrows shot up. "Really."

"Molly...how did you know that?" Jamie asked.

"You mean it's true?" Harry gaped at her.

Jamie blushed, but nodded. "Last night...we were going to tell you on the train..."

Silence hung in the air for a moment, and then Ginny and Hermione squealed almost simultaneously. "Wow! You said yes, didn't you?"

"When is it?"

"How-"

Shay rolled his eyes in exasperation, but Harry couldn't help noticing the tiny smile on his face. "We're not getting married now," he said. "Just...sometime."

Jamie nodded in agreement. "Sometime after we're out of school...it could be next year, or in two years, or in four years...we'll figure it out later." She turned back to Molly. "How did you know, Molly?"

Molly shrugged, and Tonks said, "She was looking for Diego last night, and told me she heard the two of you." Diego was Molly's favorite stuffed toy; a fluffy dragon.

'You didn't see me,' Molly signed.

"Sneaky little mouse," Shay said, rubbing her hair affectionately.

Harry had come to know Shay and Jamie too well to be very surprised by their news, and had to admit that he was happy for them; they had been through a lot together and deserved to be able to marry and live a happy life.

Will blinked and then smiled. "I was wondering how long it would take."

"I just can't believe your daughter got engaged before any of us," Ron muttered to Ginny, several minutes later. "Shay's going to be your son-in-law, technically speaking. And Jamie...she's going to be your daughter-in-law, Neville!" He shook his head. "Every time I think this can't get any weirder..."

"Oh, come on, Ron, you had to have thought about this before," Ginny said.

"Not overly so," Ron shrugged. "And that makes me think...you could be a grandparent before you're twenty, Gin!"

Ginny rolled her eyes and turned to Shay and Jamie. "Congratulations, you two. No matter when you get married, it'll be wonderful."

"Thank you, Ginny. And don't rush things too much, Ron," Jamie said with a laugh. "I'm kind of enjoying finally getting the opportunity to just be sixteen."

Harry sat back and listened to his friends chatter about a variety of things, half-listening as he allowed his mind to drift in thought. He had got fairly used to the fact that Voldemort was gone. Sometimes he still woke up expecting something, and realized he was wondering what Voldemort's next move was going to be. Then he would remind himself that Voldemort was gone. He was finally going to have a school year where he didn't have to worry about what Voldemort was doing, or where he was, or what he was planning next for Harry and those he loved. This school year was going to be the most freeing year of his life.

He couldn't wait to see what it was like.

Epilogue ~ Mended Fate

Hogwarts

August 1, 2004

"Mummy, when is it starting?"

"I told you, Grace, in a few minutes." Hermione attempted to smooth her four-year-old's frizzy bright red hair back into its tie. "Now-would you please sit still? I'm trying to fix this."

"I'd give up, Hermione," Ginny grinned. "You and Ron must have got lucky with Will and Molly's hair, but Grace's made up for it by far."

"Oh, hush," Hermione said, attacking Grace's hair with her fingers. "I'll bet when your son is born, he'll have Harry's hair manageability, and then you won't be one to talk." She nodded pointedly at Ginny's round stomach.

"Ow! Mummy! Ow!" Grace squirmed and squinched her eyes shut.

Hermione finally managed to twist Grace's hair back into place, and she sat back. "There. Now sit still."

Grace ignored her and bounced in her seat. "Mummy, look, it's Will!"

"Yes, I know," Hermione said. "He'll be sitting with us in a few minutes. He's helping people find seats right now."

"Where are Daddy and Uncle Harry?" Grace asked.

"They're probably helping Shay and Neville get ready for the wedding," Hermione replied patiently.

"Why?"

"Because they wanted to," Hermione replied promptly. She turned to her sister-in-law and whispered, "Ginny, are you sure you're ready for the thousand and one questions a day?"

"I've got four years to get ready for it," Ginny laughed. Harry and Ginny were having their first child; though they had married only a year after Ron and Hermione, they had waited before starting a family. Both had completed Auror training, and now worked at the Ministry of Magic.

"The wedding's about to start." Will's voice drew Hermione's attention, and she smiled at him as he sat down. "Ron and Harry are coming." He nodded at their approaching figures.

"Will!" Grace threw herself on Will, and her tie popped out of her hair again. Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes, picking up the tie and tackling Grace's hair.

"Hello, sweetheart." Will kissed Grace on the forehead. "Hello, Hermione, Ginny." Will patted Ginny's stomach gently. "Hello, Sirius." He looked up at Ginny. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, fantastically. I'm as big as a dragon, my ankles are swollen and killing me, and I can't sleep. Oh, and let's not forget the thousand bathroom visits a day. I'd feel betterif he would just decide to make his entrance to the world," Ginny said, looking pointedly at her belly.

Will smiled. "You know, if you have him in nine days, it will be my birthday-my exact birthday, year and all."

"Oh, if only I could be so lucky. According to the healers, I still have three more weeks."

Will's smile widened. "He'll come when he's ready. I can't help you there. I can, however, do something for your ankles." He pulled out his wand and bent down, touching each of her ankles and whispering something under his breath.

A moment later, Ginny smiled and sighed contentedly. "That's much better, Will. Thanks."

"How are you doing, Will?" Hermione asked. "How are your children?" Will's children were actually the patients in St. Mungo's who had permanent spell damage, and had to either live in St. Mungo's or travel there on a regular basis. He had been working with kids ever since he got his Healer's license three years earlier.

"Pretty good. Some up days, some down days."

"Molly said she visited St. Mungo's with you the last time she stayed at your flat. She seemed really happy about it," Hermione said.

Will nodded. "She wants to help. She, more than anyone, knows what it's like for some of these children." He tilted his head. "How are things at the Ministry?"

"Oh, busy. You know how it is. Ron's traveling to Portugal next week to work with the Portuguese branch of the Muggle Liaison Office. They've been having some trouble managing some of the anti-Muggle propaganda." Ron and Hermione had worked for the Ministry since graduation. Ron worked hard to keep the newly-established Muggle Liaison Office in place. It was created under the Muggle Protection Act, which Arthur Weasley had formed so long ago, during their sixth year. It was used to handle problems between wizards and Muggles. It was also used whenever the Ministry needed to communicate with Muggles who knew of the existence of the wizarding world. Ron often found himself handling Muggle parents whose children were witches and wizards.

Hermione, on the other hand, worked on developing new spells and counter-curses. It was hard, slow work, but something that she enjoyed very much.

"Ooh! Mummy, there are Shay and Neville!" Grace pointed to the front of the aisle, where Shay and Neville had just emerged and were standing in front of Dumbledore, all three resplendent in dress robes. Dumbledore's was star-patterned and he wore a matching pointed hat. The stars sparkled, and every few seconds, a shooting star would zoom across his robes. "But where's Jamie?"

"She's-" Hermione stopped when Ron and Harry slid into the row and took their seats. "How's the groom?" she whispered, tucking her legs under her chair so Harry could get past to sit beside Ginny.

"Nervous," Ron whispered in return.

The music began, and Grace straightened attentively, craning her neck to look over her shoulder. "Is it starting now?" she asked in a stage whisper.

Hermione rolled her eyes and looked at Ron. Ron grinned and patted Grace's leg. "Yes."

Hermione turned to watch, beaming at the first person to walk down the aisle-Molly Weasley, who was acting as flower girl.

Grace went one step further. "Mummy, it's Molly!" She clambered onto her knees and raised her voice. "Hi, Molly!" she called.

Titters ran through those assembled to watch the wedding, and Molly glanced in the direction of the Weasleys and the Potters. She smiled slightly and waved one hand, then continued down the aisle, dropping flowers as she went.

Hermione and Ron both grabbed Grace and pushed her down into her seat. "Hush, Grace! You need to be quiet during the ceremony!" Hermione hissed.

Grace looked completely unabashed. "But it was Molly!"

"Yes, and you see her every day," Ron whispered. "You live with her, and you may speak to her after the wedding is over."

Grace sighed. "All right," she said grumpily.

Two young women that Hermione vaguely recognized from Hogwarts followed Molly down the aisle and came to a halt on one side of Dumbledore, opposite of Neville and Shay.

The music changed slightly, and Hermione grinned as the bride herself stepped onto the aisle. Gabrielle Delacour was stunning in her simple white gown. Her pale hair shone in the afternoon sunlight, and she kept her eyes fixed on the podium as she walked down the aisle.

Hermione's eyes shifted to Neville, who looked quite nervous, as Ron had said. Despite the obvious nerves, at the sight of Gabrielle coming down the aisle, his whole face lit up. Hermione never saw Neville as happy as when he was with Gabrielle, and the same could be said for Gabrielle.

Seven years earlier, after Voldemort's defeat, there had been an undeniable bond between them. Though Gabrielle had been at school for the majority of the time, summers and holidays had been spent at Grimmauld Place, which Neville frequented as he helped the Order restore peace to the world. Hermione quite clearly remembered the day when she realized that Gabrielle was in love with Neville, during the summer following the girl's sixth year. That had only been one year ago.

Hermione was brought back to the present when the flash of a camera caught her eye. Jamie was kneeling at the edge of the aisle, snapping pictures as Neville and Gabrielle stepped forward to stand together in front of Dumbledore. He smiled at the two of them, then spoke. His voice was magically magnified so that everyone could hear him. "Friends and family, we are here to witness a most joyous event. It is my privilege to bring Neville Longbottom and Gabrielle Delacour together in marriage."

Hermione heard a muffled noise and glanced across the aisle to see Fleur Delacour-Weasley crying into a handkerchief. Bill reached behind their two little girls to hold her hand tightly.

"Neville Longbottom is an upstanding member of the wizarding world. He owns his own magical plant shop on Diagon Alley, frequents Hogwarts to assist with Herbology classes, and offers his assistance to the Ministry in whatever capacity he is able. However, I remember a time when he was a quiet, timid first year starting out his journey to become a wizard. He found much courage in the years ahead, and he is taking another brave step today. For let us always remember-it can take a great deal of courage to love as completely and openly as Neville does." Dumbledore smiled at Neville, then turned his eyes on Gabrielle.

"Gabrielle has shown herself to be more than an exceptional witch, and I look forward to seeing her grow even more now that she is out of school. I will admit that she did have her clashes while at Hogwarts, and I saw her in my office on more than one occasion-" Dumbledore winked at Gabrielle. "-but on almost every occasion, she was standing up for something she believed in. Gabrielle always stood by what is right and what is honest. She has given of herself fully, and she has loved fully. I can give no higher praise."

Dumbledore studied Neville and Gabrielle. "Please take out your wands."

Both Neville and Gabrielle pulled out their wands and touched the tips together, their gazes locked on each other. Hermione smiled wistfully and rested her head on Ron's shoulder. He kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand.

"Daddy! You're not s'posed to kiss Mummy! Neville's s'posed to kiss Gabrielle!" Grace whispered loudly.

Harry made a noise halfway between a laugh and a snort, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Remember," Dumbledore said strongly. "Love is a powerful force. It can save and heal, guide and protect. It brings us together and makes us whole. Without love, we are lost." He touched his own wand to the place where Gabrielle and Neville's wands met.

A blue light formed between the three wand tips. It brightened for a moment, and then faded completely. Neville and Gabrielle tucked their wands away, and Dumbledore nodded at them. "Turn and face the witnesses."

The couple joined hands and turned to face the crowd.

"Raise your wand hands," Dumbledore said.

Neville and Gabrielle lifted their right hands, and Hermione could see the newly-formed mark on the fronts of their wrists, indicating that they had been joined in marriage. It was a basic spell that had been devised by the Department of Mysteries a year before her own wedding, and was simply a testimony to the marriage, much as Muggles used rings. She glanced at her own mark and tightened her hold on Ron's hand.

"Neville and Gabrielle, let it be known that today, you have joined in life and in love. Live to your fullest potential, always embracing what is good and just. May you be a light to each other in dark times." Dumbledore paused for a moment. "May I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Neville Longbottom."

Fleur burst into a fresh round of tears, and even Hermione felt her eyes stinging a bit as Neville leaned forward to kiss Gabrielle. Jamie snapped away with her camera, and within moments, the newly-married couple was greeting well-wishers.

"Is it over?" Grace asked. "Mummy, may I go see Molly now?"

"Yes, you may."

Grace jumped up and wiggled her way through the people beginning to stand and move around. Hermione leaned over and kissed Ron deeply. When she pulled away, he raised his eyebrows. "What was that for?"

"Oh, so I need an excuse to kiss my husband?"

Ron turned to Harry. "Is it just me, or do women get a bit more sentimental at weddings than normal?"

"It's not just you," Harry assured him. He raised his voice and waved to someone across the lawn. "I'm going to have a word with Dean." He disappeared just as Grace returned, tugging Molly with her. "Mummy! Molly said I could wear her dress later, isn't that brilliant?"

Hermione glanced at Molly, who shrugged and smiled. 'It will be a bit long, but she'll have fun,' Molly signed rapidly.

"Molly, I wanted to ask-would you like me to take you to Diagon Alley tomorrow to buy your school supplies?" Will asked.

Molly nodded. 'I would really like that. I have a long list of school supplies, and Remus wrote down a couple of extra things that weren't on my school list. He said it might help me during my first couple of years at Hogwarts.' She turned to Ron and Hermione. 'Is that all right? May I go with Will?'

"Of course you can," Hermione replied.

Grace, who had been watching and listening to the conversation, tugged on Hermione's robes. "Can I go, too?"

Will smiled and rested his hand on the top of Grace's head. "I'll take you another time, all right?"

Grace pouted. "Pleaaase?"

"Grace," Ron said, "Will is going to spend some time alone with Molly."

Molly tapped Grace on the shoulder, and when the younger girl looked up, she signed, 'I'll bring something home from Uncle George's store, all right?'

Grace looked a bit consoled. "All right. Oh! There's Uncle Fred and Aunt Angelina!" She pulled away from her parents and ran to greet them, and Ginny followed suit. Hermione smiled and waved, and Angelina waved back. She was currently pregnant with her and Fred's fourth child, a boy, just like their other three. The boys all had very brown

skin and curly hair, much like their mother, though two of them were graced with the Weasley freckles.

"Smile!"

Hermione turned at the sound of Jamie's voice and found a camera pointed directly at her. She made a face, and Jamie snapped a picture. "I'm sure Neville and Gabrielle will cherish that one," she said, laughing. She turned the lens on Will and Molly. Molly stuck out her tongue, and Jamie rolled her eyes. "Smile, Molly, smile!"

Molly grinned, and Jamie snapped the picture, then hugged her. "You were beautiful up there."

'Thank you.'

Jamie tugged on Molly's braid. "I'm going to see if I can track down Shay. He disappeared after the ceremony. Oh, and Molly, before I forget, you left some clothes at our house last time you spent the night. Don't leave before I can give them to you, all right?"

'All right.'

"Jamie!" Grace reappeared in the crowd and threw her arms around Jamie's legs. Hermione was unsurprised to see that she had lost her hair tie again. "Aunt Angelina has a baby in her tummy," she stated.

"I know," Jamie said, smiling.

"So does Aunt Ginny," Grace said wisely.

"I know."

"Are you going to have a baby in your tummy soon?" Grace asked, wide eyes looking at Jamie earnestly.

"Oh, subtle." Will laughed.

"Grace, that isn't the kind of question you should ask grown-ups," Hermione told her gently.

"Well, you know, it is a fair question," Ron said with a wicked grin at Jamie. "I mean, come on...you and Shay have been married for longer than any of us. Six years and no kids..."

"Ron!" Hermione elbowed him sharply.

Jamie grinned. "It's all right." She looked at Grace. "Shay and I just wanted some time to ourselves before we had any babies," she explained. "We didn't get to have a very fun time when we were little, like you get to have. We wanted to do some fun things by ourselves first."

"But you do lots of fun things!" Grace said. "You live in Hogsmeade! And you can come to the castle whenever you want!" She waved her hand at the school. "The castle is alot of fun!"

"Yes, it is," Jamie agreed.

"I can't wait till I get to come here. Then Shay can be my teacher."

Shay had set a record for the length of time Hogwarts had kept a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher after he took over the class five years earlier. He had commented that the strangest aspect of teaching the class was having his own mother in it.

Jamie had spent her time making potions for local apothecaries, and some healing potions for St. Mungo's, while doing photography on the side.

"All right, now I really am going to find Shay. I'll get your clothes while I'm at it, Molly." Camera dangling from her neck, Jamie pushed through the crowd and disappeared.

"Will, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry," Ron said.

Will grinned. "Food sounds good."

"I want food!" Grace exclaimed, grabbing Ron's hand. "Can I come with you?"

"Oh, I suppose." Ron swung Grace up onto his shoulders, and the three of them walked toward the refreshment table, leaving Hermione alone with Molly.

"Aren't you hungry, Molly?" Hermione asked.

Molly shook her head. 'I'll get something in a little while.' She smoothed her dress down and sat carefully on a chair. 'Mum, can I ask you something?'

"Of course." Hermione sat down beside Molly. Since Molly had begun to learn sign language, she had always called Hermione and Ron 'Mum and Dad.' It had baffled both of them, because Will only called them Mum and Dad when he slipped. When they had married, and Will had been busy training to be a Healer, they had invited Molly to come live with them, and she had stayed with them ever since. Hermione considered Molly as much her daughter as Grace was, despite the extenuating circumstances. It made for awkward questions from strangers sometimes, as Molly was eleven and Ron and Hermione were only in their early twenties, but Hermione couldn't have cared less.

Molly looked down at the ground for a long moment, and then looked back up at Hermione. 'I'm a bit afraid to come to school.'

Hermione tilted her head thoughtfully. "Why's that?"

'What if...no one likes me? No one will be able to understand me unless they know sign language...' Molly's hands faltered in their movement, and then she continued, 'What if no one wants to learn? Most people don't know I'm from the future, but what if they find out and think I'm weird?'

"Oh, sweetheart." Hermione wrapped an arm around Molly. "I'm sure you're going to find friends who will want to learn to understand you. The best friends you'll have will love you for who you are, and they won't care if you can't talk or if you're from the future. You've lived most of your life here anyway. You'll have a fantastic time at school. You can use sign language to pass secret messages to your friends. That's what we used to do. Just make sure you watch it in Shay's class, since he'll understand you." She grinned at Molly, and Molly smiled reluctantly. "And if you have any problems, you can owl us, or go to Shay or Jamie, or any of the teachers. Besides, you'll get to try out for Quidditch. You've been talking about that for ages." Ron had been thrilled that at least one Weasley in his family wanted to fly, and since first years were now allowed to try out for the team, it was one of the major things Molly had been looking forward to.

'Yes, but what if I don't make the team?'

"Well, you won't know until you go, but you stand a good chance if you just do your best."

Molly nodded, resting her hands in her lap. She stood up and hugged Hermione. 'Thank you.'

"Now, why don't we go congratulate the bride and groom?" Hermione led the way toward the front, where Gabrielle and Neville were chatting with Samantha Zabini and Hannah Abbott-Macmillan. When the crowd around them had thinned out a bit, Hermione stepped forward and hugged both of them. "Congratulations, you two!"

"Thank you." Gabrielle beamed. Her eyes drifted to Molly. "And thank you, Molly, for being part of our wedding."

Molly gave a small smile. 'I had fun.'

It wasn't long before the reception ended, and Neville and Gabrielle retreated from Hogwarts grounds in a carriage pulled by two winged horses. Hermione stood with Molly and waved good-bye. Molly watched them go, a wistful smile on her face. 'It was beautiful.'

"Yes, it was," Hermione agreed. She took a seat on one of the chairs, and Molly sat beside her.

"I can't believe they're actually married now," Jamie spoke up from Hermione's right. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. Here are your clothes, Molly."

'Thank you.'

"Did you find Shay?" Hermione asked in a low voice.

Jamie nodded. "He's all right. He's ravaging the food with Harry and Ron. I think he's still a bit amazed that his parents actually got married."

Hermione nodded. "It's funny, really, how things worked out. Ironic, you know? Some things changed completely, and other things stayed the same." She half-smiled at Molly. "Which, of course, has been the cause of many discussions and books being written and studying being done and newspaper reports...speaking of which, Molly, you let me know if Rita Skeeter ever bothers you again while you're at school."

Molly bit her lip. 'You won't Transfigure her into a toad again, will you?'

"No. If she bothers you again, that would be too nice. Next time I'll-"

"Hermione, are you threatening the press again?" Shay stepped up beside them, balancing several plates of food.

"Not this time-just Rita Skeeter," Hermione replied with a little grin.

"Don't worry, Molly. If the mosquito-"

"-beetle-" Jamie whispered.

"-harasses you, I'll handle her." Shay gave a nasty grin of his own. "Here. Eat some cake. You're too skinny." Shay nodded at one of the plates he was carrying.

Molly gave him a placating smile and took the plate, which was stuffed with a lot of food besides cake.

"See? I knew you were hungry." Shay grinned.

Jamie rolled her eyes and elbowed Shay in the ribs, jolting one of his arms. His plates of food swayed dangerously. "You stuff her like a pig, Shay. She just gave up trying to decline it a long time ago."

"Hey! It's good food. You can never get too much good food, right, Molly?"

Molly raised her eyebrows dubiously, but her hands were too full to answer. "Hermione?" Shay offered another plate to her.

"Oh, no thanks. I'll raid the refreshments in a moment."

"All right."

Jamie again rolled her eyes and pulled Shay away, muttering something to him as they went. Hermione smiled, then turned back to Molly. "Why don't you sit here and eat? I'm going to track down Ron, and grab some food.."

Molly nodded, and Hermione turned to head for the refreshment table. She caught sight of Harry, his arms wrapped around Ginny from behind, a lighthearted smile on his face. She stopped for a moment and gazed around at all of her friends and family, laughing and talking, and tears threatened her eyes.

Life was wonderful. It still had its ups and downs; there were still fights and conflicts, but overall, Hermione could honestly say that she was at peace. Considering what had happened during her teenage years, that was a miracle in itself. There had been so many miracles, and many of them had begun the day that Will, Shay, Jamie, and Molly had made the journey to the past, exactly eight years earlier.

Hermione had learned a lot. She had learned never to take life for granted, and to treasure every day, even during the hard times. The broken fate the world should have known had been mended.

She would never forget it.


End file.
